Tenured Michigan professor swears at college class and calls them 'vectors of disease'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be fair, DS is post grad at U Mich and the undergrads do sound like they are unbelievably reckless in a hard hit state during a pandemic …

However, this professor is abusing the tenure system. Tenure is supposed to protect academic freedom to research and teach controversial Intellectual Positions not to lose any shred of self Control and dignity in a profundity laced rant against the youth who have worked hard (and paid a fortune for OOS students) to be taught by him …

I think you've missed the whole thread's discussion of the fact that this is NOT a professor at the University of Michigan. (See, OP? You've created confusion that's brought a consideration about OOS that doesn't apply here. I can't imagine there are very many OOS students there at all. It's not that kind of a school.)

+1

[Anonymous]

He's not wrong. 3 of my tenured friends have retired early to save their lives.

Businesses and colleges and non profits should be protecting their staff, tenured or not, as much as possible -- but most don't care and seem to want the staff to leave or retire ASAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be fair, DS is post grad at U Mich and the undergrads do sound like they are unbelievably reckless in a hard hit state during a pandemic …

However, this professor is abusing the tenure system. Tenure is supposed to protect academic freedom to research and teach controversial Intellectual Positions not to lose any shred of self Control and dignity in a profundity laced rant against the youth who have worked hard (and paid a fortune for OOS students) to be taught by him …

Does Ferris State have a lot of OOS students? What’s the appeal for OOS?

6%. 😃

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He's not wrong. 3 of my tenured friends have retired early to save their lives.

Businesses and colleges and non profits should be protecting their staff, tenured or not, as much as possible -- but most don't care and seem to want the staff to leave or retire ASAP.

Elderly faculty get paid big bucks with the lightest courseload so yeah I can see how getting rid of all of them at once would be a bonus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be fair, DS is post grad at U Mich and the undergrads do sound like they are unbelievably reckless in a hard hit state during a pandemic …

However, this professor is abusing the tenure system. Tenure is supposed to protect academic freedom to research and teach controversial Intellectual Positions not to lose any shred of self Control and dignity in a profundity laced rant against the youth who have worked hard (and paid a fortune for OOS students) to be taught by him …

Does Ferris State have a lot of OOS students? What’s the appeal for OOS?

6%. 😃

Boy, those 6% are sure overpaying!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be fair, DS is post grad at U Mich and the undergrads do sound like they are unbelievably reckless in a hard hit state during a pandemic …

However, this professor is abusing the tenure system. Tenure is supposed to protect academic freedom to research and teach controversial Intellectual Positions not to lose any shred of self Control and dignity in a profundity laced rant against the youth who have worked hard (and paid a fortune for OOS students) to be taught by him …

I think you've missed the whole thread's discussion of the fact that this is NOT a professor at the University of Michigan. (See, OP? You've created confusion that's brought a consideration about OOS that doesn't apply here. I can't imagine there are very many OOS students there at all. It's not that kind of a school.)

Main point - abuse of tenure wherever lecturer is located

[Anonymous]

What a oddball! From the wapo article:

“Later in the video, the professor explained he based his grading system on the Calvinist doctrine of predestination, which posits that God has already assigned people for salvation before birth, so no action they take in life can change that.
“None of you … are good enough to earn an A in my class,” Mehler said, adding, “So I randomly assign grades before the first day of class. I don’t want to know [anything] about you. I don’t even want to know your name. I just look at the number and I assign a grade. That is how predestination works.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Subject line is misleading. The prof. is at Ferris State, which is in Michigan. But he’s not a University of Michigan professor as the subject line suggests.

I didn’t suggest anything. Curious you infer University of Michigan over Michigan State too but that’s not my problem. - OP

Really? If this was a professor at Mount St. Mary’s, it would be passing strange for you to write as the subject line “Tenured Maryland professor...” because everyone would immediately assume University of Maryland. Same thing if it was James Madison prof and you wrote “Tenured Virginia professor...” And if it was a Michigan State professor, I would expect someone to write “Tenured Michigan State professor” because, that’s the university that would have given him tenure.

Nope. If someone said Tenured DC Professor I’d click on the thread to find out which one - Georgetown, American, GWU, Howard etc

See pp. In the State of Michigan, the University of Michigan is referred to as “Michigan”. It’s funny that you’re being so stubborn about this. Maybe that’s your problem.

Correct. Shows a complete and total lack of awareness around college vernacular. Many many flagship state schools go by just the name of their state (Virginia, Carolina (north and south), Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Ohio, just to name a few.)

[Anonymous]

He should probably see his primary care physician for an evaluation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He should probably see his primary care physician for an evaluation.

I actually wondered if it might be early signs of dementia. It's pretty crazy. And sad, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He should probably see his primary care physician for an evaluation.

Exactly, this guy cannot be mentally well (and I am a professor myself).

One of his colleagues should have reported him long ago. (And kids to turn in anonymous evals each semester you know).

It would be hard for someone this mentally unstable to hide in plain sight (unless the pandemic has sent him over the edge.)

[Anonymous]

I love the phrase “vectors of disease”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Subject line is misleading. The prof. is at Ferris State, which is in Michigan. But he’s not a University of Michigan professor as the subject line suggests.

I didn’t suggest anything. Curious you infer University of Michigan over Michigan State too but that’s not my problem. - OP

Really? If this was a professor at Mount St. Mary’s, it would be passing strange for you to write as the subject line “Tenured Maryland professor...” because everyone would immediately assume University of Maryland. Same thing if it was James Madison prof and you wrote “Tenured Virginia professor...” And if it was a Michigan State professor, I would expect someone to write “Tenured Michigan State professor” because, that’s the university that would have given him tenure.

Nope. If someone said Tenured DC Professor I’d click on the thread to find out which one - Georgetown, American, GWU, Howard etc

See pp. In the State of Michigan, the University of Michigan is referred to as “Michigan”. It’s funny that you’re being so stubborn about this. Maybe that’s your problem.

Np - most of us are not in Michigan on this board. -University of Michigan grad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He should probably see his primary care physician for an evaluation.

Exactly, this guy cannot be mentally well (and I am a professor myself).

One of his colleagues should have reported him long ago. (And kids to turn in anonymous evals each semester you know).

It would be hard for someone this mentally unstable to hide in plain sight (unless the pandemic has sent him over the edge.)

+1
He's 74--He's likely had something mildly going on that just being a longstanding quirky professor might have masked. With age comes loosening of inhibitions. He's likely lucid in his area of expertise. Probably has long been known as having ascerbic wit etc. Ferris State is in an isolated area of Michigan and he's spent his whole career there--been a professor since before I graduated from high school and I'm now a full professor myself!
Pandemic likely exacerbated it so now it's out in the wide open. I think colleagues need to look out for their professors over age 70 and some sort of extra review process is needed. Some are the best educators out there, with such knowledge and perspective so I wouldn't want to have a forced retirement age, but it's sad if no one counsels them out and they damage their lifetime reputation.

[Anonymous]

Great spokesperson for unions!