AP
Old and busted: Studying for better grades. New hotness: Suing for better grades.
Graduate student Megan Thode wasn’t happy about the C-plus she received for one class, saying the mediocre grade kept her from getting her desired degree and becoming a licensed therapist — and, as a result, cost her $1.3 million in lost earnings.
Now Thode is suing her professor and Lehigh University in Bethlehem, claiming monetary damages and seeking a grade change.
A judge is hearing testimony in the case this week in Northampton County Court. Lehigh and the professor contend her lawsuit is without merit. Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano declined to dismiss the suit Wednesday, ruling that there was enough evidence for the suit to proceed, according to The (Easton) Express-Times.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
How does one C+ keep one from receiving a degree? Something smells about this.
Bitter Clinger on February 15, 2013 at 10:52 PM
It sounds like the course may have been a prerequisite for another course and required a higher grade to advance.
As a result, Thode earned not a master’s degree in education in counseling psychology but a master’s in education in human development. Thode is requesting the judge change the grade to a B so she can pursue her career goal of becoming a licensed therapist.
Lehigh Valley Live
malclave on February 15, 2013 at 11:05 PM
Fair point Clinger, however, the teacher gave her a zero for class participation even though she attended every class and participated–albeit annoyingly.
Donald Draper on February 15, 2013 at 11:09 PM
She will have to go work for the government because no private employer would hire her. Once they do a Google search of her name and see that she is sue-happy, there is no way they will hire her.
I don’t think these “victims” understand most of their wounds are self-inflicted.
ramrants on February 15, 2013 at 11:38 PM
Victicrat. A product of Democratic Party policy and ideology of the last 50 years.
ButterflyDragon on February 16, 2013 at 12:14 AM
In many graduate programs a B is considered borderline failing – certainly in math and science programs. Of course, this chick was studying to be a “therapist”, which isn’t even a program worthy of a graduate department so I don’t know why they would be irked with a C in a joke field, anyway.
ThePrimordialOrderedPair on February 16, 2013 at 3:30 AM
“Class participation” in graduate school … My G-d! That sort of thing is appropriate for elementary school and, perhaps, middle school. What a joke. Lehigh should be ashamed of itself.
If I were the judge and some professor told me that he graded on “class participation” in graduate school, I think I would laugh right in his face and throw him out of my courtroom. That is a mockery of graduate education.
This case calls for a Kissingerian, “It’s a shame they both can’t lose.”
ThePrimordialOrderedPair on February 16, 2013 at 3:35 AM
So what prevented her from taking the class over to raise the grade?
That’s the normal procedure, isn’t it? Does it not apply to ghey advocates?
Xavier on February 16, 2013 at 3:38 AM
Ka….CHING!
NavyMustang on February 16, 2013 at 5:03 AM
Actually, “class participation” in graduate school is common — it’s probably one of the factors that kept me from getting higher than a B- in my Shakespeare class(considered “barely passing”) because I wasn’t very talkative during class even though I attended every single one. It made sense in this case because 1) It was a small class and everyone had to participate, and 2) it was a discussion of his work.
ScoopPC11 on February 16, 2013 at 6:27 AM
When I got my MBA, a couple of the classes had a participation component, even though the degree course was completely online. What the professor did was post topics to a message board and everyone had to make x number of posts on said topic and they had to be substantive (no “hey, I totally agree with that”).
And it’s weird that some,profesosions do require a masters degree for licensing. Right around the time I graduated, I was in physical therapy for herniated discs and noticed that my therapist had a certificate on the wall for the same honors society for graduate students that I had just become a member of. I mentioned it to him and he told me that he was required to have a masters to actually be licensed as a physical therapist. And most graduate programs require you have a B in every course to get your degree, at least in my experience. If the course in question was a core requirement for the degree she wanted, it could have stopped her from getting that particular degree. I assume that the degree she did get didn’t have this particular course as one of the requirements.
Alia on February 16, 2013 at 8:46 AM
Not in any serious field.
ThePrimordialOrderedPair on February 16, 2013 at 8:54 AM
From another article I read, this is in fact how he felt about the case. He was not happy
that they could not reach an accommodation on their own.
FineasFinn on February 16, 2013 at 8:57 AM
“Not in any serious field.
ThePrimordialOrderedPair on February 16, 2013 at 8:54 AM”
Not that it’s a serious field, but law school is focused on forced participation.
AcidReflux on February 16, 2013 at 9:28 AM
As I tell my students, my classroom is a “Benevolent Dictatorship” not a Democracy. And that the “Benevolent” part can change.
The syllabus is a contract between the student and the professor. That governs the grades and forms the basis for any appeal on academic grounds. There is usually an appeal process at universities for grades if you think the professor was unfair in some other way.
“Class participation” is more than sitting in a seat every day.
But seriously, one class? With a C+? Grad school usually does require Bs, not Cs.
ProfShadow on February 16, 2013 at 10:07 AM