Am I being a Sucky Student?

[Indigo]

Not sure where to put this.... I'm just looking for any advice I guess.

If anyone read one of my earlier threads, I'm switching from Art Ed to English Ed. Multiple reasons, but one of them is that I'm slowing getting sick and tired of the art department at my school. I had one teacher tell me that if I was serious about my major, I would quit my two part-time jobs and devote my time to art. I asked her if she was going to pay my bills in the meantime.

But on to the main event.... I have an art history professor (let's call him Baldy). He apparently did not record the grades for two out of three of my exams. Now I did flunk the final test (scored a 20 *winces*) but I explained to him that at the time I had some other issues going on and that I knew I was in no way prepared for the test, but decided to give it a go anyways instead of skipping it. The final grade is based on the average of those three. I have been trying to resolve it since May 12th. I begged him last Friday to change my grade to an Incomplete until I could find the exam books to prove I had taken the exams. He said he would, but the grade still hasn't changed. I met with him today as I had proof of the exams. My proof was photocopies of the cover of the bluebooks with the grades in his handwriting. I also mentioned that I had the timestamped emails from when I had scanned the covers of the books and emailed them to my mother. He basically told me that he still thinks I'm lying about taking the exams and that in his opinion, the photocopies could have been Photoshopped. (Nevermind that I don't even own Photoshop) I asked what if I couldn't find the actual bluebooks (as I have not been able to locate them yet) and his response was "I guess that means you're in trouble." (Cue him reclining in his chair with a smug smirk)

I have a meeting with the head of the department tomorrow to figure it out and hopefully she'll be able to fix it since she's my advisor for the moment until I officially switch to English. And because of all this, my financial aid has been yanked and my summer classes canceled. I'm still going to them because my current teachers told me to, but I'm hiding out in my dorm, praying that Housing doesn't notice that I'm not supposed to be here.

My questions are:
1. Am I being a sucky student by insisting that my grade be changed to reflect what the bluebooks say?
2. Do I have a right to be offended by his attitude towards me and his accusations?

I just feel like this entire time I've been treated like its my fault that he didn't record the two grades and that how dare I question his authority.

[Treasure]

You took the tests, you have proof = You NOT being sucky!
He is the one being sucky, and you have every right to be offended - he messed up, and refuses to admit it, and you proving the point only offends his overinflated self important ego... so good for you for going to the head/dean of the dept.

I would also talk to the Housing folks, and let them know what's going on - that you're currently in dispute over your grades, and working on getting it sorted out, and will be trying to get your funding reinstated as well. Then talk to the folks in financial aid, and see what they can do to help you out, so you don't have to reapply or something to get funding back.

hang in there

[Exaspera]

Baldy is an idiot! How did he expect to hand in a final grade for you if he didn't have all of the info? Go to the Dean. Fighting his incompetence is not being sucky.

[The Last to Know]

I sure hope you can find those bluebooks because that is proof that he hasn't done what he was supposed to do. I had this same experience this last semester in my Business Communication class - my professor assigned SO MUCH work that just the stuff I had to do for her class was double everything assigned in all of my other three classes combined.

There was a ton of repetitive & just busy work, but was most annoying was on the 2nd to last class she had EVERYBODY in the class go through their grades on Blackboard (the schools website for your classes with assignments - grades - etc) and then we had to FIND the assignments she had graded, but hadn't even bothered to put in her grade book.
Every single person in the class had multiple things she had graded - complete with her red ink & grade written on it - that we had to bring back to the front of the class one by one for her to update the grades.
My thoughts were if you are giving out SO MUCH WORK that you can't keep track of all the stuff you are grading - the issue is with the professor - not the students.

[Indigo]

Financial Aid's whole opinion on it is that they're not going to do anything until it is resolve and then I supposedly have to appeal to get my aid back. They're sucky themselves, they treat the students like dirt.

I have not spoken to Housing for fear I will be told to hand my keys in immediately and move out. Housing is pretty slow on the uptake though and I spoke with a friend who had a semi similar issue (as far as her aid went, no sucky teacher issue) and according to her I've got another week before housing notices.

Honestly sometimes I wonder why I'm at this school with as crappy as the people can be, but the Education and English department more than make up for it.

When I handed Baldy the photocopies earlier today, he looked utter shocked at them, and that's when he pulled the whole "I need the actual books." But it took a couple minutes of him staring at them before he decided that. Honestly I think that if it is his handwriting on there, and I have the communication to prove that I had the first one back in March and the second in April, then he should change it. And the downside is that he doesn't use Blackboard, or I would have caught onto it back in March!

[Solumina]

I had a similar issue in which I was contesting my academic standing and the result would determine if I was able to continue the next semester. I was told by someone in admin that I would need to leave campus but when I talked to the housing director I was told that I was allowed to stay in my dorm until a final decision was made.

[Aethian]

My Mom had a Prof do that...she went above their head as far as she could go...that prof no longer works there.

[Eric the Grey]

QFT:

Baldy is an idiot! How did he expect to hand in a final grade for you if he didn't have all of the info? Go to the Dean. Fighting his incompetence is not being sucky.

Seriously, if you cannot get anything in the next day or two, take it to the Dean. He or She should be willing to do something about the problem.

I had to do similar because of Financial Aid suspending my loans after a class I dropped didn't get put into the system right. I had the paperwork for it, signed and time-stamped, so I had proof, but even after it was fixed at one end, FA took an entire semester to fix the problem, and only then after sicking the Dean after them.


Eric the Grey

[pssorens]

I'd also try to talk to the Dean of student affairs, if at all possible. And I hope that this professor is untenured, but I've found that most profs don't get lazy till they get tenure.

[Magpie]

Is there an attendance sheet at your exams? What is the university policy on this sort of situation? I have a hard time believing that you're in the wrong here (morally I say no, you're not, I'm talking about paperwork). Go to your academic advisor, and/or to whoever is supposed to be representing you in case of appeals. You need the big guns for this and frankly, neither you nor we are them.

[Indigo]

Well I met with the head of the dept today (who has also been my advisor for the last year and a half). She's made sure that the grade is listed as an Incomplete for now and she's going to speak with the dean of students to see if they can get fin aid to grant me my aid while we get this resolved. She has also stated that all my communication will be with her from now on and if there is anything that Baldy needs to know, she will be the one to send it to him.

No attendance sheet, he just walked around and collected the books at the end of the exam. University policy is to talk to instructor, then head of dept, then dean of that particular college (arts and sciences in my case), then the provost. Provost's decision is final. I have a feeling that I will not take it further than the head of the dept as she is well respected by all (including me) and I know her decision will be the best one she can make while still following the rules.

Right now I'm just relieved that she's handling it because I know she's not going to blow it off and she will do all that she can to help.

[Exaspera]

Flakey art teacher! (I can say that because I am one, too) But he's gotta keep track of things! Good for you for finding a credible person to help you with this.