Test Administration Was Disgraceful

The conduct and administration of the midterm for Foreign Cultures 48 on Tuesday, March 17 was clearly most unprofessional.

Several students enrolled in the course at Currier House (where I am a resident tutor) spoke to me last night about it, and I encouraged them to contact the Dean of Undergraduate Education and the Director of the Core program concerning the matter. Understandably, they are reluctant to complain to the professor or head teaching fellow, nevertheless it is clear to me that a thorough investigation is warranted.

The exam was clearly conducted in a chaotic atmosphere. Particularly disturbing to me was the report that many students continued to write after time had been called, that other students called the attention of this to the teaching fellows (who were all on the stage, in no position to fairly supervise the exam), and that the teaching fellows did nothing about it.

I should add that the same students came to me in week two complaining about their teaching fellow. They commented that the person had clearly not attended lectures (a definite violation of FAS policy) and came to section poorly prepared to teach. They requested immediate section changes, but the head teaching fellow did not grant them and seems to have done little to improve the situation in their section in the subsequent weeks.

The students experience in this class is nothing short of disgraceful. --David Kidger,   resident tutor, Currier House