Just Say "No"

Following up on an earlier post regarding the asinine response to a UCLA law professor's use of a real-life example in a final exam question, we have this example of a college professor who has both common sense and cojones.

Professor's One-Word Response Stuns Students Too ‘Traumatized’ to Take Exam

After the news began to spread of Columbia University granting their students extensions on their exams due to the protests of the recent Grand Jury decisions in Ferguson and NYC, other schools such as Georgetown and Harvard began requesting the same delays on their exams.

In the wake of this news, one student from Oberlin College emailed her professor with a similar request, stating:

“I do not know if you have been in conversation with any other students or faculty regarding finals. I do know, though, that the college administration has done very little, if anything, to support students who are struggling and feel traumatized because of the recent (and day-to-day) acts of racism in this country…

I am asking that you create an option (if you have not already done so) for students who do not feel like there are in a place, emotionally, mentally, or physically, to postpone the statistics final…

I know that you have the ability and power to make decisions like this, and I am asking that you use your power to support your students who have put so much energy into the class already. They are tired, they are hurting beyond belief, and their wellbeing needs to be prioritized.”

The professor’s answer wasn’t nearly as wordy, but it was certainly clear:

 “No.”

People like him make me proud to have been a professor.

Here's a screenshot of the exchange: