Uproar as Texas college professor flunks his entire class

Uproar as Texas college professor flunks his entire class

The professor said he felt unsafe in his own classroom, where he said there were fights, rude behavior, and widespread cheating.

A professor at Texas A&M – Galveston got fed up with his class, so he got even — by flunking all of them.

Irwin Horwitz was apparently tired of widespread cheating, disrespectful behavior from students, fights, and generally feeling unsafe in his own classroom, according to a Washington Post report.

In an email to his strategic management class, he informed his students that every one of them would be getting a failing grade, telling them that none of them deserved to pass or graduate as an Aggie, “as you do not in any way embody the honor that the university holds graduates should have within their personal character,” according to the report. His email was published in Inside Higher Ed.

A second email to school administrators let them know what he had done and why. Horwitz expected students to complain, but he told school officials that they were the school’s problem now — he’s quitting the course.

The head of the department that Horwitz is a member of will take over for the class for hte rest of the semester, and although the university is investigating the cheating and misbehavior allegations, they aren’t going to allow him to give an F to all 30-some students.

Stating that none of them have failed “until the end of the class,” Vice President for Academic Affairs Patrick Louchouarn said that they would need to actually fail to perform to the expectations of the class first when it is over. And Texas A&M spokesman Shane Hinckley told the Houston Chronicle that there had been no action taken with Horwitz’s employment status.

Horwitz said he’s never failed a class despite teaching for two decades at six different universities.

In comments to the Houston Chronicle, he said the university was actively ignoring his complaints about the behavior of the students, which forced his hand.

Although he acknowledged that some students might not deserve an F, he said it was his only choice as the school wouldn’t let him just deal with the problem students.

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