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 
you say the teacher thinks you plagiarized the paper but you didn’t deny it. You are luck you didn’t get a zero on it for cheating. stop whining and do your own work
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The professor handled this poorly. It is never acceptable to question a student’s academic integrity in front of an entire class. However, if this blog post is a reflection of your academic writing, then your writing does need work. “Transitory” does not mean the same thing as “transitional.” You use “vitality” incorrectly as well. You frequently omit the comma that should precede a conjunction that’s joining two independent clauses. A couple of other issues were number agreement between your subject and verb and using a comma instead of a semicolon to join two independent clauses. My perspective on this is as a one-time adjunct and former editor who now works in higher education as an instructional designer. If I were working with a student or writer who was not improving based on written feedback, then I would schedule one-on-one sessions until I saw improvement. It’s called teaching, and this professor failed you as a teacher.
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To add to the above comment professors now have software to detect any discrepancies in that might reflect plagiarism. Hence, not your word was probably not yours….. just saying
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Mark,
How dare you state the obivious! I have read her other blogs posts and have noticed similar errors. Her writing skills would fallen below average had she attended an elite university. Sometimes people who are lower income, or are from a marginalized group feel they should be judged under a different rubric. Everyone has to be held to the same syllabus.
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You had to work really, really hard to nitpick her writing, didn’t you? I’ve read many undergraduate and graduate papers, and her writing is excellent. It is not perfect. Even great writers need editors. But based on your comment, I would never hire you as an editor, or suggest you to a friend whose work needed editing. You seem to have a fine attention to detail, but a poor understanding of the power of language.
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A professor at my university saw fit to tell a girl from a low-income background that she had used a ‘poor’ word. The same professor also accused the only non-white girl in my year of plagiarism, despite no evidence. I don’t know what internal biases she may or may not have had, but it really crushed those girls. Academics need to be more sensitive when they question the validity of someone’s work.
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I’m appalled, but wait, I’m Hispanic too so I guess I should say shocked. I feel your pain and concern as I have children which will one day face the same stigma for not being white. So sorry this happened to you. Wishing you the best throughout your journey in this divided world we live in.
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Are u freaking kidding me?? You call this racism??
Instead of a cowardly student looking for the easy way out??
Not your language means this isnt how she normally talks or writes.
The professor obviously knew this student well enough and had graded papers of hers to realize this wasnt authentic.
And yet beaners like u are playing the race card just like white feminists are playing the sex card, u all are worthless trash.
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“You call this racism??”
You may be right, the professor’s comment probably wasn’t meant in that way.
But you have definitely shown me how one writes (beaners, white feminists).
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Whew!, thought I was the only one that thought this …..
I am white and have had a similar note, did not know I could cry about it publicly?
Good luck to her in “the real world”.
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Stfu you crybaby attention-seeking whore. What a joke of a student u are. Turning your inability into a racial issue, you’re the reason why Trump wants to build a wall beandip.
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“Crybaby attention-seeking whore”. That’s not your insult, that’s mine. That’s what I was calling your mother last night. He can build a wall, motherfucker, but we are reproducing like rabbits, soon, white people will be the minority 😉
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As many problems as the US has, can’t wait until you are correct and the US turns into the fine country that Mexico is……
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STFU u wetback nacho, i stuffed my burrito in your ugly ass mother’s pinocha last night and she said viva America !!
You dont reproduce like rabbits you’re like a bunch of cockroaches , u dirty stinky POS.
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Wow. So much energy on so much hate. What could you do if you turned that energy towards something else?
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Wow. Lot of haters commenting, underscoring and supporting all your sentiments. This is what is expected from people who are born with “privilege.”
TIFFANY IM SORRY YOU’VE EXPERIENCED THIS! THE WAY YOU’VE HANDLED IT WAS TACTFUL, BRILLIANT, AND POWERFUL!
You will achieve great things… you already are.
Proud.
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“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.”
If this passage is indicative of the quality of writing you submit on regular basis, then yes, I could see why a professor who had received your writing previously would doubt certain word choices were authentically yours. “Extremely populated”? “It took until”? That you selected these words specifically to showcase your intelligence is even more troublesome because word choice doesn’t reflect intelligence. Usage and coherence do. Anyone can grab a thesaurus…and your professor knows this.
And for being a self-styled academic, you make quite a few assumptions about the motivations of the professor, even though it’s apparent you haven’t actually spoken with the professor to validate if any of them are true. Are there other minorities in the class? Were you the only one to receive these type of comments on your work? If not, what were the genders/races of others that had similar comments? Was your treatment unique?
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I have graded many papers and routinely checked for plagarism. Turnitin is a useful way to check if a student has plagarized. I can also easily use google to check student papers. But I would NEVER discuss any student’s work in front of an entire class. To say that is bad teaching is an understatement. At the university level, Ms. Martinez might have a legal case.
Ms. Martinez is a NcNair scholar. I have mentored these students. They compete to be admitted to a program that prepares students for graduate school. The program is selective, and the fact that she is a McNair scholar means that she has to be an excellent student.
I am quite certain that Ms. Martinez discussed this incident with her mentors in the McNair program, and in fact, they might have encouraged her to write about this experience.
What this professor did was racist, but more than that,as a professor, I find it a horrific example of bad teaching. You should be more worried that her university allows such practices.
What is even more horrifying is the comments by people who don’t feel any need to hide their racism. It took courage to expose herself to that kind of hate.
The McNair program was named after Ronald McNair, an African American astronaut who was killed in the Challenger shuttle explosion.
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Given that you claim to be a professor, then you would know that un=sourced quotes with no context aren’t by default racist and it’s intellectually dishonest to claim they are.
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I experienced this on the “city of lights”, i’m an anthropologist and a sociologist told that I didn’t knew to write in french (ok taken) but that I didn’t even knew how to write in spanish or that my work was anthropology. Shame on “sciencists”, we should try to understand each others way of thinking. Forms are important but is not the root of knowledge. Grades should be given by the proccess, not the formats.
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This is pretty messed up. No other way to put it. Accusing a student of plagiarism in front of the class is by itself quite shocking (and should have serious consequences for the professor). This would be true even if the text in question was a clearly cut-and-pasted quote. This is simply unprofessional conduct, nothing more.
But to the more serious issue: not only is the assumption by itself a sign of the professor’s internalized racism, but I see how the phrasing of the comment just adds insult to injury. “Not your language.” Just as it’s not your country, or your [insert symbol of national identity here]. Jeez. I feel for you. Not getting how that is hurtful to someone who has to spend so much of their life proving that they belong, that’s borderline psychopathic. And I’m saying this as a white cis male living in a nearly all-white country (Norway). Seeing all the people saying variations of the “this is your fault/you’re a crybaby/STFU” theme here just makes me sad. The funny thing is that even in my wildest dreams I couldn’t see myself being confronted with that phrase – “not your language” – even though I’m not a native English speaker. Mostly because I’m white. I’m sorry this happened to you. And I’m sorry our societies (both in the US and internationally) has racism, sexism, homophobia and a bunch of other discriminatory practices so ingrained into them that even people who don’t actively think like that can still act like this. Hopefully things will get better with time. And hopefully this will get enough attention that your university hears of it (and hopefully they aren’t the self-preserving pricks US universities seem to be).
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Stfu and grow some balls. Not your language meant this is not how you normally talk or write. The professor obviously knows this student well enough and had graded previous papers of hers before.
What happens when we find out this pity attention seeking whore did plagiarize?? What will u say then??
You pathetic PC generation kids are so soft, marshmallows would be embarrassed to be eaten by you. Try hard work, thick skin and earning something, not just crying and complaining so u can find the easy way out.
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Why do you have to call her a whore? You are entitled to your fucking opinion, but why do you have to insult her?
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I agree that that is probably what the professor meant. But that begs the question: does the professor actually have a basis for that statement? Is reading a paper or two (or being in in-class discussions and the like) sufficient for effectively accusing a student of plagiarism over _a single word_? Is it really unlikely that a student’s language might evolve and change even during the course of a few months, or that they might not use the same exact words in every paper? The basis for that statement is paper thin, at best. And not taking into account the added meanings of “not your ****” for any non-white non-male (or non-straight, – cisgendered, and so on) is unprofessional at best.
And even if she did plagiarize (which seems extremely unlikely given the fact that the section pointed out was _one word_), the conduct of the professor in adressing it is still grossly unprofessional, and should obviously have consequences.
Also, what’s up with the ad hominem bullshit? Seriously? Even if you just think she’s just complaining, can’t you even bring yourself to use semi-respectful language? I don’t give a shit that you’ve lived X years longer than me and have worked your ass off. You obviously don’t have any respect for the large scale societal issues of today (that btw apply to all age groups, not just young people), so I don’t see any reason to respect your biased, privileged, sexist and stuck-up attitude. Young people today don’t owe you shit. Women don’t owe you shit. People of colour don’t owe you shit. Deal with it. Get your ass out of the stone age and try to act and speak like an actual citizen of a civilized society. You might learn something.
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Oh you poor baby, and I use the term loosely. You claim Racism due to failure..?? What it actually shows is your inability to learn. I think of a bumper sticker I saw recent;y: Quit bragging on your honor student, their failure is Common Core.
If you can’t take Constructive Criticism then you must change your field of learning. My Child is Bi-Racial and I refuse to allow her to use any excuse for “not” Learning.
Not everyone will like you, and if they are pandering to you based only on your color or some Political Correctness then you have lost the fight for a Higher Education because it limits your ability to learn.. stop being the victim.
If you can’t take Constructive Criticism then you must change your field of learning. My Child is Bi-Racial and I refuse to allow her to use any excuse for “not” Learning.
Not everyone will like you, and if they are pandering to you based only on your color or some Political Correctness then you have lost the fight for a Higher Education because it limits your ability to learn.. stop being the victim and learn from the truth.
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I apologize for the double printing… Old laptop. Hope you get the gist of my statement.
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On an entirely ADD note and in no way related to the issue at hand, I’m surprised you used an exclamation point in an academic paper. I always found that type of emphasis to be too harsh in my own work; it was as though I couldn’t justify myself any other way so I had to prove my point more emphatically!
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Here is my experience with academia http://borderlesscitizen.blogspot.com/2014/08/america-1984-iranian-called-jose.html
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i feel disrespected … First – you feel with your fingers. Second – SUCK IT UP – the world is not built on some juvenile notion that everything you say deserves a pat on the head. Lastly, get off the cross – failure is part of learning.
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Wow, some white boy is all sorts of pissed off poor baby, do you need a safe space to protect you from all the minoritys fighting back and standing up for themselves? I think you do
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So for you it’s completely okay for a professor to (effectively) accuse a student of plagiarism due to the assumption that they could not possibly have such mastery of the English language simply because they aren’t “native English speakers”? That’s complete bullsh*t, and you know it. Language is a learned skill, and assumptions like that are blatantly racist.
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What an ignorant statement. She was not asking for a pat on the head. Racial bias exists everywhere and she’s just venting about her experience! Maybe you should spend the day in her or any other minority’s shoes then I’d like to see how you “suck it up”. I am a white woman who cannot begin to imagine how it is for minorities. I was raised to not judge people by the color of their skin or their ethnicity. I would assume that you were not! She’s Dean’s list and a McNair Fellow, you don’t get there by chance, you get there with hard work and determination. The professor to berate her in front of her peers is unacceptable. He must have felt very insecure in himself/herself to have to resort to that type of behavior. Absolutely unacceptable!
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GBH (one who was there 30 years ago)
I’m so glad you spoke up about this…it’s obvious the professor thinks that your capabilities are very limited….continue to shine and show them that ALL MINORITIES ARE ACADEMIANS TOO!!!
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ANY student is an academian – y’all are just crybabies who seem to vomit up the word disrespect anytime you don’t get your own way
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I have a feeling that you got busted for cheating hence the racism charge. People are tired of the race card.
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I have the feeling that you innately trust her word less than the word of her professor. The possible causes for that are many, but internalized institutional societal racism and sexism rank pretty high on the list.
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She used the word “hence” like you did. Hence is a fairly common conjunctive adverb, for a professor to imply that she copied a common phrase like that is not only stupid but seriously insulting.
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Trond,
You’re the kind of @sshole who gets stuck at a red light and thinks its some kind of conspiracy against you.
To even suggest institutional social racism is such a pathetic attempt from you to come across as some intellectual romanic knight in shining armor, its frickin disgusting really. Do you have a pair??
People like u are weak, always looking for an easy way out, blaming others instead of accepting responsibility, and I am not white i am Asian, i experienced a lifetime of racism, but ive seen my parents work their ass off to succeed in this sh!thole of America and to see this country go down the drain because of pansy candy @ss mentalities like yours is why the future is so damn bleak.
Piss off and go try to pretend to be intellectual somewhere else like your local high school’s special ed class, where u migjt be able to convince one of those poor special students that you are some chivalrous intellectual being you POS.
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@Piss Off: I love that you’re saying that anything beyond a superficial analysis of society and its workings is alleging “some kind of conspiracy.” I’m sure you’ve read sufficient amounts of sociological and psychological works to base this on something with actual merit?
Also, the fact that you’re consistently turning to (what you obviously see as) ad hominem attacks rather than arguing your case (“@sshole”, “do you even have a pair?”, “weak”, “pansy candy @ass mentalities”, “POS”) doesn’t speak well of your ability to actually argue your stance, unfortunately. It mostly shows off your obvious sexist leanings (hint: using an implied lack of masculinity as an insult only works if the person in question actually is insecure about their gender identity). Frankly, you just come across as sad, unable to identify your own privilege, and pretty dumb.
I know full well that I am privileged in many ways: I live in (and have grown up in) one of the richest countries on earth; I’ve enjoyed free higher education; I’m a white cis male, and have as such experienced minimal discrimination throughout my life; I’ve also reaped the benefits of growing up in what I see as a caring and empathic society, unlike the US. Which is why I try to do some good with it, rather than be an asshole and just reiterate the same biased and discriminatory power structures that I’ve benefited from. And while I value hard work, like you seem to do, I see the “shut up and work harder” stance to complaining about discrimination as not only offensive, but unproductive and completely missing the point. Your parents were obviously resourceful and probably got lucky several times (compared to others in similar situations who didn’t succeed). And while their effort should be neither underappreciated nor ignored, using their work and succes an argument to say others should shut up and work harder is insulting not to whomever you’re talking to, but to your parents as well. They didn’t work hard to give you the ability to put down others, I’m pretty sure. And arguing that hard work is a goal in and of itself is just plain dumb. Work is a means, not an end. And when the problem here (in the original post) is that hard work is shown to not be enough, your logic is proven to be faulty at best (and more likely than not both biased and discriminatory).
Check your privilege. Try to think empathically about other people’s problems, and you’ll be both happier and have far better relations with other people.
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I have a feeling that you’ve been busted for racism hence the race-card charge. People are tired of the race-card change being used to obfuscate and deny.
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Tiffany, I want to use your own words. What makes you doubt yourself? Is it racism? Is it being a minority? Then, you better work harder. Look at the environment you are in. A school, be it university, private or public entity is biased, period, Even private or government entity is biased to its own thinking. Would it also be possible to say that being minority is biased to one’s own thinking? Or are you looking for excuses? Don’t use your skin color, or ethnicity as an excuse. Other wise, tomorrow you will use gender as an excuse. And it will never stop. Ever read 5 different newspapers and compare its content on one subject? Exactly. Thats exactly what your professor did. Go out there. MAKE A MARK. Do what you are suppose to do.
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What’s wrong with you?
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thank you – rather than obsessing about disrespect and her skin color – ask the professor why she/he did not believe this was her work instead of the cheap go-to response of hiding behind your skin color
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Ah, of course, it’s always the under-valued and put-upon minorities’ job to improve their own lot. It’s their own fault that a whites-first society has prevailed for so long that suppositions like this are ingrained into our culture to such a degree as to become invisible. Of course. That makes so much sense.
The whole “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” logic is discriminatory in so many ways, and completely ignores the societal responsibilities of privileged classes (in regards to socioeconomic status, gender, race, and a whole host of other differentiators). The funny thing is that this is completely incongruent with the philosophical idea of the social contract, which constitutes a large part of the thinking behind “the american way” and the US constitution.
Pick-and-choose ideologies are always fun to watch.
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You must be proud! The professor was so amazed at your work and so jealous that she found it mecessary to attack you in front of everyone to disqualify you, because she is afraid you are better than her and might take her place (which you are aiming for), so she found no other way. It’s similar when people know they’re wrong, can’t argue and correct grammar, as they have no other means to get back at them. So you must be proud, you are so good that your own professor is afraid of you. Way to go girl!
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you are a bright, intelligent, wise beyond your years, young woman. I wish god blesses you with great success in your life and may all your dreams and wishes come true. Always watch something funny when you need to pick up your spirits like trump explaining NATO 🙂
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Nothing about pointing out the difference between the words you use in person vs the words you use on an exam makes one racist. Have you ever given the thought that maybe the reason racism is so prevalent in this country is because people like yourself use your skin color as your to-go first response whenever you are faced with adversity?
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Don’t you understand what social and institutional racism is? This is clearly a biased against someone that isn’t credibly held. How dare you try and say that this is something that she brought upon herself when it’s obviously and blandly clear that the assumption of someone’s intelligence is linked to the color of their skin, and more commonly, the standards of a racially defined society.
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No it is not CLEAR. It may well BE racist, though their is nothing CLEAR about this. There is too much we do not know. Does this professor know Tiffany at all? Is this his first time seeing a paper of hers? If it is, then more than likely it IS in fact racism. Though if he HAS had other papers of hers, or has talked to other professors of hers, and so knows about her writing style and can SEE a difference, then it may not be racism, but the same criticism, others go through every day. It is in fact, RACIST to assume something is racist, without having enough evidence to actually tell. Sure you can hear the story and assume racism, but that DOES NOT make it so. It may BE so, but we need more than information than, “He was means to me, and I am latino.” I am not being racist either, I am just saying, just because someone claims racism, doesn’t make it so, and for everyone to assume (making an ass out of U and ME) that it DOES, just exacerbates the problem.
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People who ignore racism is the reason why racism still exists in the country. It is the same as sexual assault and abuse, the individuals who prefer to blame the victim instead of look at the reality of the issue further progress these sick ideas in society. Racism is something that people of color constantly face on a day to day basis, so when it is inflicted upon us it is easy for us to see. As a scholar and a Latina, I support Ms Martinez and agree the professor was being prejudice against her student for using intelligent vernacular. A person who is educated understands the deteriorating result of racism and does not have to be a person of color to grasp that this young woman has been a vivitos of that thought process.
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“It takes a nation of millions to hold us back” and yet we keep coming, because of our character, our intellect, and our desire to succeed. God has us given the strength to overcome obstacles because our sense of self is stronger than your fear, and your self-delusion of being better because of skin color. Tiffany Martinez, what a great writer you are, and a what a bright future awaits you based on your own intelligence, stay faithful to your belief in yourself and your intellect. Amen.
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You are obviously misinformed and oblivious to your white privilege! You must be uneducated to the point of not knowing your history. Please further your education and do your research. Or maybe you get a kick out of saying minorities play the race card because of the guilt you and “your” people feel in regard to treating people like garbage!!
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Wow. Racism is the fault of people complaining of racism. Yes, of course. And unequal pay is the fault of women complaining that they don’t get paid the same as men. The ever-shrinking Netflix library is the fault of users complaining there are too few movies on Netflix. If you don’t see the blind idiocy of statements like that, you’re part of the problem. Also, you’re effectively saying “anyone with power has the personality of a bratty three-year-old, and acts offensively purely out of spite.” That’s a nice world view, for sure.
On a more serious note, let’s take a look at your thinking:
a) you assume her professor has decent knowledge of her “in person” language. Who talks that much with their college/university professors? No one I know. The odd comment, answer or discussion in class does not give a professor anything near grounds to make assumptions of a student’s vocabulary.
b) you assume there is no difference between day-to-day oral/informal language and academic language used in a paper. This is patently absurd. Successful academic writing requires adapting your language to suit the genre.
c) you assume a professor doesn’t know of the difference between academic writing and casual language. While this is possible, it alone would be a grave error on the side of the professor and absolutely cause for severe criticism.
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Tiffany, You are validated and believed by “Many”, you are not on your own and isolated!! We may not be there with you, by your side, helping you through, but in spirit we stand strongly by your side! I am not an academic, nor am I a member of a minority group, however I have experienced the feelings you describe!
I understood all you have written and wholeheartedly refute the treatment you have received! The Professor and any like him should be thoroughly ashamed of his behaviour!
I pray for a real startling chasm to open in his understanding now, for him to have an epiphany of his predudice and limiting ways towards others.
I am a 55yr old White English Lady and
I STAND WITH U NOW & ALWAYS as a friend and support in what you are experiencing so very unfairly.
Stay strong, Don’t Give In, Reach Your Goal, then show “Them” those very small minded people, how it “Should be done” xxxx
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Thank you for bringing awareness Tiffany. How terrible for you to work hard on a paper and for your professor to accuse you of plagiarism. Its sad that people make assumptions before they know you. And off of your ethnicity as well. It amazes me how blatant his racism is!
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Perhaps professor is getting all touchy-feeling on “hence”… You sit 3 of them in a room and we have ourselfs a day long debate.
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If your name is Lopez you are dumb ,but Goldberg you are smart.Racism has not changed since1776 What a country
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Get out of undergraduate school as fast as you can, and get into a graduate program where you belong.
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nice…..
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Doesn’t an instructor have a responsibility to communicate _privately_ with a student suspected of plagiarism? And if this isn’t about the instructor’s having detected actual plagiarism, what could it possibly be about, other than delivering a public humiliation?
Just as a student has a responsibility not to plagiarize, an instructor has a responsibility to communicate appropriately and clearly to the student about their work. Accusing a student of plagiarism in front of the class is not appropriate and it is not constructive. The message that was _received_ in this case wasn’t actually about plagiarism, it was about humiliation on the basis of ethnicity. If it wasn’t intended to be about that, then the instructor’s communication was unclear, to boot.
I went off to college 40 years ago as an “invisible minority”–unremarkable until I spoke, when my accent immediately marked me out as a person who “didn’t belong there.” When you’ve had that kind of exclusion in your life from childhood on, you interpret your subsequent experience accordingly. I eventually went on to teach college for a decade, in addition to an academic research career. I believe instructors owe their students the consideration of thinking about how their own actions are going to come across, which means developing sensitivity. We aren’t there to engage in hostile behavior.
I encourage you, Tiffany, to take constructive action, both as regards this incident with the instructor and as regards your own internalized beliefs about your status. I’m still working on that last part myself, but things are much better now because I have gained so much perspective over the years–through therapy as well as through life experience–and am no longer stuck in reactive mode. Being in reactive mode may help you make sense of what happened, but it doesn’t serve your larger goals. It would be helpful to find out what the professor actually meant. But it’s probably wisest to go about that by finding out what kind of resources are available to help you advocate for yourself (Dean’s office? Ombudsman? Minority Affairs office?) and engaging with that support in your further interactions with this professor.
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I really need to read the rest of your paper to have a feel whether the word seemed to indicate plagiarism. For example, if you used the word “therefore” or “as a result” or “thus” many times before in sentences that are typical of your writing, but here, you used the word “hence” and the sentence structure is not typical of your writing style or sentence construct. In addition, it is not common to use the word “hence” as a college student because usually that word is used by older writers or writers of past generations. I mean, do you hear that word nowadays? I graduated from law school and if a professor reads any “legalese” (words that are loaded with legal jargons and only those in the legal field would understand), you can be marked down. So maybe your professor is not racist but was annoyed by the word. However, publicly shaming you and suggesting that you plagiarized without proper investigation and talking to you is unacceptable.
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Not to step on your toes, or anything, because you make a good point… but…I’m thirty, a current undergraduate, and I use the word “hence” all the time. I especially use that word in my papers frequently. I also hear it often from people younger than me, and people in law school (UIowa).
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Yeah, K-dizzle, I’m going to have to call your bluff. You are on point; distinct variation in language use and style within a paper is readily observable to professors who have read and graded countless writings. However, your statement that YOUR professor in law school grades you DOWN for using proper formal, legal language in your papers is absurd. A full comprehension of the formal terms and constructs you WILL be expected to know in any legal practice is a necessity to your education. Proper use of language in LEGAL writing above all others is required to avoid any possibility of obfuscation. I am an Engineer, we must use formal language in our practice to avoid any chance of confusion in our intent. If you are being truthful then you need to seek a different Law school immediately, and/or make the Dean aware of that significant issue.
As an aside, hence is a common word, but nowadays is not. Ironic?
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I’m 40. I use the work hence all the time in my writing and speech, and I used it when I wrote papers in college. Many students use “past generation” academic phrases in their writings because they are influenced by their assigned critical readings, and because they have yet to find their own writing voice. I look back at the stuffy, mimicking papers I wrote when I was 19 and cringe. Hence, however, is such a benign transition for such an insulting remark as what this professor wrote. Underlining it twice? What a dick. She has every right to call this person out. Double goes it for shaming a young minority student who is topping the game.
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My last name comes from a Spanish heritage with history but once people know I was born in Mexico they take a 180 degree on their tone and mode towards me. Do not let one bad person taint your life for that one bad person there will be one hundred good ones you will meet in your lifetime. There will be people that will try to put you down but only you decide if they succeed. I believe la academia is no different and will never change because is not them as a whole but the people that make it up. We as human beings, as a society, as a world need to change for there to be improvement. Just keep being you the smart, intellect, communicative, expressive, and inspiration person you were meant to be.
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You write very well both in paper and in telling your story…which is more than can be said of some of the racist commenters here. Don’t give up and let success be your response to the trolls. They hate it when other people do well.
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Please ask your professor if she’s heard of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. She is a Latina from the Bronx that knows the correct use of the word “hence”
The nerve!
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You said nothing about confronting the professor. Without their side of the story this post is nothing but fabricated racial crybaby sewage. Begone from my yahoo news feed!
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Lol, you sound like a crybaby posting this Mr. Jeremiah.
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Far from it. I came here with empathetic intentions I assure you. Only to find out she has no backbone for not confronting the professor. She’s also a hypocrite for her “high-income white counterparts” comment. Case closed.
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You are a total idiot. Begone from my planet.
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Learn your grammar before you criticize. Instead of “their” side of the story, you should probably say “his” or “his/her” side of the story. As a gabacha I don’t get how you claim racial crybaby.
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Duh she was kindly trying to protect the professor’s identity. Note that she was careful to not note the specific class (only stated it was a literature class) or the sex of the teacher. Obviously you are not particularly intelligent.
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She gave the other side. Her professor basically called her a liar.
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From what I read, I see that the professor is very unprofessional. The professor should handle the situation privately with you (Tiffany Martinez) even if you have plagiarized.
If you have not plagiarized, you likely have a case for defamation against the professor. Please talk to your lawyer for advice. Of course, seeking legal action is the last resort. You should report this incident to the university to see how it responds. Do not let this professor go; otherwise, his insufficient knowledge will spread all over the educational system.
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Tiffany Martinez is an illegal alien here from Tijuana. She grew tired of performing in the local donkey show. So she hopped the fence and made her way to the promised land. Here she learned that illegal cunts can suck money away from the American taxpayers by collecting welfare and racking up student loan debt. Here Tiffany Martinez learned that illegal cunts can scream foul play and claim racism. But the reality is that white people are quickly becoming the minority. You are a fraud. You instantly conclude racism. I instantly conclude you’re full of schit. Upload that paper and I guarantee you will be exposed for the plagiarizing, pathetic piece of garbage you are.
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You’re garbage.
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I’ve instantly concluded you’re a racist piece of shit who only has balls to act this way anonymously.
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I instantly conclude that you are an insecure white man with small hands and feet. May God bless wicked people like you who need it the most.
Good day.
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European whites want to think they are Smart there hate shines when others race abilitys better than they are
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First, I must emphasis the fact that I am not attempting to disprove your claim. I merely wish to stat a point. Being white I took note of your phrase “high-income white counterpart” and the multiple references to fighting the discrimination you receive from them. Yes, you will find individuals who will look down upon you because of your race but I assure you that not I nor any of my white friends and family would fall into this category. The point is do not label everyone of your “white counterparts” as bigots. You may be astonished to find that most of us are not.
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The very fact that you felt the need to shame this woman does show how much you need to grow in terms of your understanding and compassion towards the non-white community.
Look, I get that as a white person you want the world to know you aren’t some racist jerk. This is not the way to show that. Instead, be an ally to the non-white community by not getting butt hurt about people of color calling out the systemic racist problem we have in this country. We all need to be better at listening to the non-white community about the problems they are facing.
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Racism must be like insanity. If you say that you are not you only prove to everyone that you are. It does not matter what you say in your defence.
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So called racism victim uses a racial statement while explaining being racially profiled. Mind-boggling
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First step is to go talk to the professor and find out what he/she really means. Blasting this out does no one any good. You’ve done very well with your hard work, and no doubt still have a bright future. But its so easy these days to complain online instead of confronting the real problem – in this case what does your professor really mean. Well thought out dialogue moves the word forward.
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The professor should have asked before jumping to conclusions. The professor made it clear= Not her words=Liar
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Ok but what happened with the paper though? Did the teacher let you leave it as is? Has he been reprimanded in any way? What was his explanation after confronting him? I’m just curious to see how this played out because one word underlined no matter how many times, circled, starred or whatever is nowhere near evident enough of plagiarism. As a child of two parents raised in Guatemala and one of first to go to college, even I know that not every reason is straight due to racism. Has he shown signs before that he had explicit views on who you were? I realize this just happened but after a couple days now I’m sure most of these questions should have already been answered. You deserve your peace. Congrats to you getting your story out and I hope you continue on because it feels like you’re gonna go far. There’s just much more to this story that I want to know >.<
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I am disgusted by the ugly comments on your article. It just goes to show how many people will shut their eyes, when it comes to racism. Because it’s uncomfortable. And I strongly suspect that the ones who deny it the most, are the ones who share the biases in question (at least enough to feel like it is about them).
Don’t lose hope, you clearly are an intelligent person. And I am sure you can convince anybody of that fact, if they give you a chance 🙂
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With all do respect Marlies, I find your comment to be rather small minded. You shut your eyes to racism, therefore you are racist.
You are using the “if you are not with me then you are against me” argument. A rather simple view on a subject that isn’t so black and white.
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It would be very interesting to see the same paper graded using different names that could denote different ethnicities.
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Has anyone ever thought that the “This is not your word” could be a grammatical marking? And that the professor thought a different adverb… say “therefore” was apt? If you have two sentences that have logical connection, the common word would be “therefore”. No, because you never bothered to ask. I would have asked rather than jump to conclusions.
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I also find it sad that she didn’t simply ask her professor and have a private conversation with them during their office hours. She immediately went over their head instead of just talking to them. Academics talk and converse, they discuss, they learn about their peers, and in doing so they show their respect of one another.
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Respect is always earned. The professor’s comments were, in no uncertain terms, inappropriate. As a civil rights attorney, I would counsel anyone in a similar position to take the matter to a higher authority. Ms. Martínez’s department chair found her assessment meritorious enough to investigate. Beyond that, the chair had nothing but good things to say about her paper.
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It is abundantly clear what was meant by the “[t]his is not your word” comment when taken in context with the other comments made. Namely, the “this is not your language” comment the professor said in front of everyone and the “[p]lease go back and indicate where you cut and paste” noted at the top of the page.
Ms. Martínez as an obviously well-accomplished academic, as well as most people who read this entry, was able to pick up on these overt cues.
You critizing her accurate assumption speaks more to your naivety, your stupidity or your racism.
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@Bella I’m biracial and a daughter of immigrants. I know racism because I live it everyday and to be honest this doesn’t seem like it. You know what the right thing to do was ask the professor for an explanation and clarification rather than go to the internet voicing your grievances. Its frankly immature and if she wants a career in academia this is certainly not the way to handle problems. I don’t know about you but I always believe that people should be given the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you should try that.
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Thank you for commenting. As a former professor myself, I was pretty sure this had to be actionable. I’m also glad that the administration has been notified. I was fairly certain that has a McNair scholar, she had backup, but I do know that there are college administrations that are horrific when it comes to discrimination.
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@miasanmia21. The professor was the one who made the issue public. The professor publicly (in front of the entire class) accused Ms. Martinez of plagiarism by stating that it wasn’t Ms. Martinez’ language in the paper. Ms. Martinez rightfully took the matter to the department chair. She is under no obligation as an academic to engage with a person who she feels does not respect her.
While she shared this story on her blog with the internet, she did not name the professor, so we, the internet, do not know who she is speaking of. The professor, however, called her out directly in front of the class, leading the other members of the class to the conclusion that the professor believes Ms. Martinez plagiarized her paper. That is why the professor’s actions constitute defamation and Ms. Martinez’s actions do not.
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Your professor is an ass. Hence, you must take this issue to a higher authority. Those are my words.
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Perfect response Marissa!
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In most colleges, professors are expected and required to run your paper through a plagiarism check. You can list your academic accomplishments if you like, but if they are accompanied by a professor that ran your paper through a plagiarism check and found you guilty of stolen content, then you shouldn’t expect people to still consider you credible. In your attempt to plagiarize, followed by your outcry of racism, you have destroyed your credibility. This is something you need to quickly amend because it will follow you. You are attempting to defame another academic and possibly destroy their career because they suspected you of plagiarism, is that how you want people to see you as you attempt to work your way into a similar profession?
Also, it seems like the reason you found this so offensive was because of the way you think that people see you. “My last name and appearance immediately instills a set of biases before I have the chance to open my mouth.” You stated this as a fact, as if it is something that will always happen with every single person you meet. Is that really fair? You’re expecting people to be racist. You’re assuming that their comments are made with these assumptions you think they’re making about you! You cannot do that to yourself because if you do, you won’t ever really hear what people are trying to say to you.
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M,
You sound like an ass. Hence, maybe you truly are an ass? All are my words. Run this through a check.
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Gia, it would appear as though you did not read through my entire comment and reply to my varying points. Seeing how I was someone with an opposing view, you decided to simply insult me rather than discuss the subject with me. This is likely due to subject bias, and because of that and the fact you actually don’t know me or have the authority to suggest that I am an “ass,” I just can’t take you seriously. And while I appreciate the comical approach, I don’t believe I need to run your comment through a “check.” I can very easily tell that you wrote it… However, I am quite surprised that a “fifty-two year old” would make a comment like you have made. I shall take it as a great compliment that I am younger than you and yet more mature and capable of participating in a discussion without being reduced to petty insults.
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M- Plagiarism is a serious offense and if she had been found to have plagiarized parts of her paper do you honestly think she would have been handed back her paper and told to prove she didn’t plagiarize? What kind of school did YOU go to? It doesn’t work that way.
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In the school I went to, as well as many others, first time offenders aren’t given any serious punishment for class papers. Usually, if a student plagiarizes, they are given a chance to revise their paper. More serious action is taken if the paper is being submitted to a journal, or if it has already been suspected of plagiarism, and when revised, still is.
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Precisely what I was thinking. With my chosen profession, I have spent 12 years post grad at 4 different institutions and plagiarism, no matter whether it is a first time offense or not, is ALWAYS addressed directly. Meaning, it merits a conversation with the chair of the department and the accusation is made in no uncertain terms. The chair and/or department then decide how to move forward.
It is never just handled at the individual classroom level because even if what “M” says is accurate and people get a pass on first offense, unless there is an official record in a centralized place, how would it be known if it was the first offense at that institution or just the first offense in that professor’s classroom.
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They did not even name the professor here, so you can hardly call that defamation. Also if they did plagiarize most professors take a disciplinary action that is appropriate rather than try and slaughter the person’s self confidence in front of other students.
And yes it has potential to happen with every person they meet until it is proven ootherwise. I’m thinking this isn’t something you have experience with.
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While she didn’t post the professors name here, she did go over their head and report the comment to the chair of Suffolk University’s sociology department. I’m quite sure that goes past simple defamation and is a clear attempt to hurt someone’s career. She has not even spoken to the professor since she received her paper back from them, she never actually attempted to discuss the comment with them. She assumed racism, reported the issue, and has cut ties with the professor without ever really hearing their side.
Most professors do not take disciplinary action, outside of a bad grade, for first time offenders. I think you’ll find that most professors deal with plagiarism on a regular basis, if they kicked out everyone that tried it then we’d have a lot more uneducated people walking around. I think it’s best for everyone that they tend to be forgiving about these things when they happen just once.
There is a potential for every person to kill you, but if you went outside with that assumption you’d piss yourself. That was a bit dramatic, but I hope it gets my point across. You can’t assume the worst in people, it’s just never a good idea. If she wants people to see her as a professional academic, then she needs to see other people that way too. And that means she can’t assume they were being racist before she’s spoken to them.
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M. You seem to have the benefit of knowledge about this case that the rest of us who are simply relying on her blog do not have since you know what she has and hasn’t done since making her posting. You say you cannot ‘expect the worst in people’. And I agree with you but what we all do is ‘expect the most likely in people’. And you may not agree with TMs argument but in her post she has attempted to explain why in her experience the most likely explanation is the one she has provided i.e. That her prof considers a person of her ethnic background could not (or even should not?) use the language she did in her paper.
You do seem to be fixated on the professor incident and hence, are avoiding her overall argument which is that students from certain ethnic backgrounds are automatically accepted as belonging to and are valid participants in tertiary education while others are subjected to scrutiny, questioning, and demands to validate their position in ways that act to exclude them from that tertiary education.
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For some reason I can’t reply directly to M, so I’m replying here.
Truth is an absolute affirmative defense to defamation. Ms. Martínez is not required by any standard to discuss the matter directly with the professor who clearly insulted her.
Moreover, the professor publicly (in front of her entire class) accused Ms. Martínez of plagiarism. That too is defamation.
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M- allow me to correct you as I am a current grad student and TA. If the prof had ran her paper through a plagiarism check website, he would not have returned the paper to her in the manner he did. Instead, an appointment between them would have been made immediately as professors take this issue seriously. In this meeting he would have brought up right away that her paper failed a plagiarism check and then would have asked several questions in order to ascertain if this was merely an accident from leaving off quotations on several sections of writing or a case of serious plagiarism. Since the prof did none of these things we can safely assume that her paper either was not run through a plagiarism check or did not fail such check. Furthermore, there is no such requirement to run papers through a plagiarism check like you claim. I have never been required to do so as a TA nor do I know any professors who do so on a regular basis. Most in fact never use one of those websites.
Now let me address your critique of her claim that her last name leads to bias in people. There have been numerous studies that back this claim up. For example, studies who manipulate the name on a resume show that resumes with non-white names are passed over more often than resumes with white names. Here is simply one study showing this effect: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/aea/aer/2004/00000094/00000004/art00009 (free PDF if using google scholar to look it up). It is not hard to find other studies with similar results.
Please educate yourself on the difference between racism and bias. She is not claiming all people are racist. The claim is that many of us have biases that stack the deck against people of color. This is also supported by research. Why don’t you take an implicit association test (IAT) and see where your biases are. I’m sure you would find it illuminating.
Lastly, both sociology and psychology have research backing up the claim that our society has effectively stacked the deck against people of color. This is not an outrageous claim in either of these fields. You will easily find scientific articles discussing this very problem. Just make sure to use google scholar.
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I’m also a Hispanic fifty-two year old working on my second career. I have experienced ‘age’ discrimination many times during my journey to earn my second degree. Regardless of what anyone comments, it is real. I use it as a motivational tool to work harder. The haters who have made comments on this blog have missed the point. Tiffany: you are a strong and bright woman to fight this for the injustice done to you. Only a minority can understand your point. I encourage all Hispanics to band together, get an education, and support one another. We are now the majority and we can change things, regardless of what others tells us or believe. Fight on Tiffany and I am behind you.
Gia Martinez
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Not sure this is racist. Maybe he meant you’ve never written that way or generally spoke that way in his class, causing his suspicion.
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I would resubmit it with “Hence” between quotation marks and OED as a reference!
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Hello:
Pursue this as far as you can, and get the Dean to back you for an explanation. A lot of academics are nasty nerds whose myopic view of anything outside of their field is excoriation-worthy; it was insulting but the claim could be “I wasn’t attacking her ethnicity.” I recommend finding even more instances: keep the pressure on!
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Why is this instantaneously about race? Maybe your teacher simply thought you were plagiarizing, something a civil conversation could resolve. These are common comments on papers if a professor suspects plagiarism or undocumented sources.
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I agree. These are common marks. I’ve had similar marks when I was writing my thesis. I left out a source from the endnotes and my professor caught it. There is absolutely nothing racist about this. A regular person would have gone to the professor and proven that it was authentic/original or if it was indeed paraphrased; not whined over the internet claiming racism when it clearly isn’t.
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Did the professor comment on your paper in front of the class? That is the key issue here. You will find in the remarks here that other professors and lecturers are also commenting to say the professor behaved badly. I would NEVER discuss a student’s paper in front of their class. Any student, regardless of ethnicity, would be right to be horrified and upset. It is just bad teaching.
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These are uncommon comments… did you read the blog? “This is not your language” That’s a very peculiar choice of wording. A common way of writing would be to say this is “not your writing” or “This is clearly plagiarized.”
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If it was just a matter of ‘civil conversation’ why was this not initiated by the professor? Because it was not.
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Gia, you don’t seem to have a good grasp on how the process of grading and revision works in an academic setting. As a student participating in a professor’s class and seeking their knowledge, she is expected to initiate the conversation after receiving his feedback. She is expected to move forward and discuss the comments with him. If she never does and chooses to go over his head before ever talking about it with him, then she’ll never truly be seen as an academic. Professionals discuss these things with one another.
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sounds like the professor ran your paper through a database and part of hit came up as being copied… that’s not racist.
It sounds like your critical thinking skills are pretty weak if you’re attempting to spin this into a racial argument
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Sounds like you’ve convinced yourself you were there when her professor read her paper. YOUR ‘assumption’ is beyond faulty and your writing skills are pretty weak.
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The real irony here is that neither of you have strong writing skills. We are not in a back yard party discussing the host’s music choice, so “It sounds” would be a better choice of language than just “Sounds like.” And while I admit to committing this fallacy as well, I’d like to point out that by insulting his writing skills you entirely changed the subject and made the discussion about him as opposed to what he was talking about. You can insult someone as that is your right to free speech, but that doesn’t make them wrong.
Anyways, he did make an assumption, but it’s one a lot of people are making because they’ve received similar marks on their papers. Typically, the comment the professor made is used when someone is being suspected of plagiarism. I too would assume the professor ran the paper through a database because they’re almost always required to do so. However, I did read your other comment so I can understand your personal bias on the subject.
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Hi Tiffany Martinez,
I am saddened to hear you had this experience. At the same time, I was not at all shocked. I am also not at all shocked by the nasty comments being left on this topic. This is an issue that is all too common towards students of color in institutions of higher education. We are never seen as “good enough” and if we write “white” it ain’t our work. I am not a good writer at all. So, if people bash me on this comment, go ahead because I know for a fact that my writing sucks. But I also know that it is not my fault. I come from a low-income, segregated school, where I was nowhere near to receiving the proper tools and preparation to critically think and engage with academia in college. I continue to struggle with this in graduate school. My work and academic writing will never be good enough for this white supremacist culture.
Personally, I think you are an amazing writer!! As a matter a fact, your writing sounds very intellectual and “white.” I am sure you had to work hard to become a better writer. And that is the thing though…minorities always have to work harder to prove themselves and that is just not right! For what it’s worth, I think you will make an amazing professor! And I am glad to hear you will be graduating soon and going to graduate school to obtain your PhD!!! Just so you know…the racism may become subtler in graduate school, but at times it is much worse. But ignore those assholes and do you. YOU GOT THIS GIRL! SI SE PUEDE!
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Saying her writing sounds “white” pretty much sets us back a century.
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Was it necessary to make that remark? Was it kind? Did it open up a dialogue between generations?
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Im an Hispanic 53 year old. My parents were both born in the United States, and I went to college. All I can say is that I have learned to love nothing more than the look on a persons face when they realize much too late that they have underestimated me.
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This right here! Yes. Yes. Yes.
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