A professor at a university in Texas has failed his entire class after he branded them a disgrace to the university and that they didn't deserve to pass as a result.
We've all slacked off here and there in class from time to time (how else do you explain why we're writing this story, really) but at some stage we got our act together and did our best (read: pulled an all-nighter) to try and pass an exam and get on the lecturer's good side.
Not so a management class in Texas A&M University at Galveston, where professor Irwin Horwitz decided that his class had taken things a step too far, and failed the whole lot of them.
Horowitz claims that he has been verbally abused, seen cheating and was told by some of the students to "chill out", as well as the fact that they were posting untrue rumours about him online. He also apparently felt the need to get police protection in class at one stage, so things must have been pretty bad if it went that far.
In an email that he sent to all the students telling them that they would be getting a failing grade, he outlined the reasons behind his decision.
"Since teaching this course, I have caught and seen cheating, been told to 'chill out,' 'get out of my space,' 'go back and teach,' [been] called a 'f**king moron' to my face, [had] one student cheat by signing in for another, one student not showing up but claiming they did, listened to many hurtful and untrue rumors about myself and others, been caught between fights between students…. None of you, in my opinion, given the behavior in this class, deserve to pass, or graduate to become an Aggie, as you do not in any way embody the honor that the university holds graduates should have within their personal character. It is thus for these reasons why I am officially walking away from this course. I am frankly and completely disgusted. You all lack the honor and maturity to live up to the standards that Texas A&M holds, and the competence and/or desire to do the quality work necessary to pass the course just on a grade level... I will no longer be teaching the course, and all are being awarded a failing grade."
Horowitz did admit that there were a few students who hadn't caused these types of problems, but that he'd failed them anyway. However, the failing grade won't be awarded until there's a meeting held at the end of the course, as pointed out by Dr. Patrick Louchouarn, the vice president of Academic affairs at the university, and it looks as though they're not going to let the failing marks stand.
Via Gawker
