[Songbird]

Originally Posted by MossadConspiracy

yeah the stuff we did to the cadavers is much worse than anything we'll do to living people

Zzzzzzzzzzzz....

MC, I think we've firmly established you're in the medical field, so can we like move along?

[onetspvanilla]

newsflash: life's not fair, and people are mean.

yes, it's obviously not nice or right what he said, but isnt college supposed to somewhat prepare you for real life? people like that are a dime a dozen, and learning to deal with that doesnt hurt anyone. i dont know, in my opinion, the professors rude email doesnt warrant being sacked.

[farah]

NOT justifying the man's email AT ALL. but check:

He said earlier that day he had argued with a colleague, Associate Professor Steve Hoadley, over the "poor quality" of some overseas students taking his classes.

Buchanan felt many students had inadequate English skills and little prior knowledge of the subjects they were studying.

"It was hurting us in our graduate classes because these people were badly underprepared and in some cases had no background in political science whatsoever," Buchanan said.

"It's extremely hard to teach at graduate level when you have people who literally do not know the language of instruction."

Buchanan told the New Zealand Herald that when he wrote the controversial e-mail he was facing an end to funding for the New Zealand Centre for Latin American Studies, of which he was acting director, and was recovering from bowel surgery.

and again, the email he had written was completely inappropriate. not sure if it warrants a firing (apparently he later apologized for the initial email? i'm unsure of whether or not this was before he got in trouble, though), but he should definitely have gotten reprimanded...

[OptimusPrime786]

Buchanan told the New Zealand Herald that when he wrote the controversial e-mail he was facing an end to funding for the New Zealand Centre for Latin American Studies, of which he was acting director, and was recovering from bowel surgery.

A very apt response to Buchanan's excuses would be:

these sort of excuses -culturally driven and preying on some sort of Western liberal guilt - are simply lame.

Just replace Western with Islamic or Eastern.

[IbnMardhiyah]

Relax people its no big deal, students get professors fired ALL. THE. TIME.

My sister got some jerkwad CS professor fired from the U. of. Toronto a few years ago simply because she didnt like his marking scheme, because of which the 400-strong class was dropping like flies.

She made up her case, marched into the Dean's office and a few days later the prof. was out looking for a job.

Welcome to Earth.

[PhDGirl]

IbnM, I doubt it was just your sister's actions that got that professor fired (just as I doubt that it was just this email that got this particular professor fired). Students don't really get professors fired all that often. In fact, at most universities, teaching evaluations aren't really that big a part of the overall evaluation - research is more important. And if a professor has tenure at a research or a teaching institution, it takes something particularly egregious to get a professor fired.

[IbnMardhiyah]

Of course it wasn't my sister's actions, it was his actions ... and no he wasn't tenured.

[Jamroll]

Wow, this professor has real issues. It's right that he faced disciplinary procedures for such a nasty email.

I think the issue of whether NZ unis should accept foreign students, what level they should be at is a separate issue. Also, the issue of whether professors should be give into extension requests is one for them to decide based on their own criteria and university policy, and is not that relevant to this case.

The callousness with which he dismisses her father's death really makes you wonder what kind of person this professor is, on a personal level. Even if you have had an argument with another member of staff, that's no excuse to take it out on your students. Otherwise that's a blatant abuse of power. If people like him are the future of education, then woe betide the students!

But most appalling is the racism in his prejudiced statements, and it is for this reason that it is right, in my opinion, that he was dismissed.

[Revert]

Wow next time why doesn't he pour sugar in her gas tank?

[farah]

Gulfnews: Lecturer in bid to get reinstated after university dismissal

[Kona_Silat]

I have to agree with the professor that education levels of foreign students, particularily gulf students, are bad. I used to live in the gulf and they aren't too bright, i mean they get an education that gets to them to college. But I don't think they know the value of hard work.