Years ago, before she was a graduate teaching fellow in the anthropology department, Melissa Baird got burned because of an angry e-mail she sent to one of her professors, she said.
Now, she said, whenever she tries to read her e-mail, she has to weed through a gross amount of messages from students asking questions with answers they could easily find on their own.
“Students need to be professional,” Baird said. “They’re being judged on that.”
On Feb. 21, The New York Times published an article titled “To: [email protected] Subject: Why It’s All About Me,” which said some professors have felt frustrated at having to wade through an e-mail inbox inundated with useless messages from students, including one who apologized for having been too drunk to prepare his or her homework.
Upon reading the article, several professors in the University’s anthropology department decided to include stipulations in their syllabi this term restricting certain topics from student e-mails.
Some professors support the syllabus changes, saying it ensures they don’t get bombarded with stupid questions and are treated respectfully.
At least one other professor against the changes says respect should be earned and that the changes are a product of egocentric professors.
Anthropology professor Lamia Karim said she included a green sheet of paper along with her syllabus for her class “Sexualities and Culture” detailing her class’ approved e-mail etiquette. Karim said the Internet has created a false sense of intimacy and access between students and professors.
“I think the Internet has erased this boundary between students and teachers,” Karim said.
Karim said she has received messages from students asking the password for e-reserves, and even asking where the library is located.
“It’s just too much,” Karim said.
Anthropology professor Dr. Sarah McClure included the same statement as Karim in her syllabus for her class “The Prehistoric City: Ur, Harappa and Teotihuacan.”
The statement reads: “E-mail is an excellent tool for communication. However, at times its shroud of anonymity and ease of use create unfortunate circumstances, misunderstandings, and ill feelings.”
The statement goes on to tell students that their messages must be concise and specific, courteous and formal, and that students must employ patience when waiting for correspondence from their teachers. It also suggests speaking with the professor after class to get many questions answered.
When professor of law John Bonine heard of the new policy, he laughed.
“I think respect needs to be earned, not mandated,” Bonine said. “The formality can be a barrier to truth.”
Bonine said that reverence for authority is wrong and that inserting it into the student-teacher relationship is harmful.
ASUO President Adam Walsh called for balance between the inane requests of students and the aloof silence of professors.
“A professor is not there to be a personal servant to a student,” he said, but “it’s wrong for a professor to pre-emptively say ‘don’t contact me about this.’”
Walsh said that a professor’s job is to provoke thought and help students learn.
Student Larry McKaughan said that it’s appropriate for students to send mundane e-mails to professors, but it would be more effective for the students to talk to the professors in person after class.
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