On Monday, a student showed up to lab that hadn't been there in a few weeks. In fact, he's missed enough labs that, according to my syllabus, I may automatically fail him. I told him I'd still allow him to receive a "withdrawal" grade if he'd prefer it. He became distressed - he can't drop a class because he'd forfeit his GI Bill funds, his wife is pregnant, he's working multiple jobs, he has overdue bills... Although I told him that his statistical chances of passing the course were pretty close to 0 at this point, he claimed that he could excel at the work and finish the course. So, as I always believe in putting the onus on the student, I allowed him to stay.

On the way home that night, Greg told me about the shootings at the University of Arizona. Instructors there were killed because they had failed a student. Not that I am implying that I in any way felt threatened by this particular student, but I was reminded that I find myself in occasional uncomfortable confrontations with students.

Of course, it seems like the shooting at UofA could have been prevented had law enforcement followed up on previous complaints about this student. Remember the former student of mine who was being sexually agressive towards students in one of the astronomy courses again this semester? You should have seen the hoops I had to go through to finally get him removed. It finally took an email from a young woman who claimed he touched her to get the Dean to move. Yes, a student had to be touched unwilling during class to get motion from the bureaucracy. I guess I should be grateful that any action was taken at all.

Oops...I ramble...