Based on 39 community votes, the most popular answer to “Do I Report a Professor Who’s Abusing His Power?” is “Report the professor to department heads” — chosen by 21% of voters.
Category: education • Theme: Justice for a Student vs Risking My Own Future
I’m a graduate teaching assistant at my university, and I recently discovered something that’s eating me up inside. One of my students, who’s honestly hardworking and always engaged in class, came to me in tears after grades were posted. She received a failing mark on an assignment that—by any objective standard—should’ve passed easily. When I looked over her work, I couldn’t see any fatal flaws. I decided to discreetly ask the professor, thinking maybe there was a misunderstanding. His response was icy: 'Some students just need to learn a lesson.' This isn’t the first time I’ve heard complaints about him, but students are generally too afraid to speak up. Now, I’m caught in the middle. If I report the professor to the department, there’s a real chance I could jeopardize my position as a TA, or worse, my future recommendations for grad school. The professor has a lot of influence and isn’t shy about making things difficult for ‘troublemakers.’ At the same time, I can’t shake the guilt of watching an innocent student’s academic future be unfairly damaged—especially knowing she needs this class to graduate. I’ve considered just supporting her privately, or encouraging her to file a formal complaint, but she’s terrified of retaliation. This whole situation makes me feel sick, and every day I walk into that classroom, I wonder if I’m responsible for letting this kind of thing slide. What would YOU do?
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