Professor Sues Students

AZCONSERVATIVE ^ | 13 May 2008 | John Semmens

[John Semmens]

Dartmouth English professor Priya Venkatesan is suing her students for “mental harassment” and the college’s administrators for “failure to safeguard my emotional health.”

Venkatesan maintains that some of her students were so resistant to her exposition of “French narrative theory” that the classroom became a “hostile working environment.” “They argued with my ideas,” she charged. “They questioned my authority.”

The professor’s suit mentions a specific incident wherein students assailed her contention that science is “a patriarchal construct that suppresses feminine ways of knowing.” One of the students took issue, citing empirical evidence in his argument. When he was applauded by his classmates, Venkatesan broke into tears.

“He battered me with logic and data,” Venkatesan complained. “These are well-known tools of phalli-centric oppression.”

Venkatesan expressed confidence that her lawsuit would be profitable. “Dartmouth is an expensive school,” she pointed out. “So, I know the students’ parents have money. I will make them pay for the abuse their spawn have inflicted upon me.”

[beebuster2000]

joke right?

[Paladin2]

WWWAAAAAATTTTT?

[fetal heart beats by 21st day]

Wow! I bet the lawyers can’t wait to get her on the stand so they can repeat her diatribes in the courtroom.

The students at Northwestern, where I believe she went, should point at her and laugh as she walks by.

[neutrino]

I would like to be on that jury.

[Paladin2]

Facts and logic are clearly not of heavier weight than “feelings”.

[Rebelbase]

There was a thread about this a while back and the Prof was considering suing her students. Has she actually filed suit?

[gorush]

Rush babies?

[mgc1122]

And exactly “WHY” is such a sniveling whining loser even employed at a prestigious school like Dartmouth? I didn’t realize affirmative action included LOSER.

[KarlInOhio]

I think this is a satirical overstatement of a real situation. I doubt that anyone would be dumb enough to say "So, I know the students’ parents have money. I will make them pay for the abuse their spawn have inflicted upon me."

[beebuster2000]

suckers.

read the article. its satire.

lol

[CarrotAndStick]

Priya Venkatesan.

[Rebelbase]

Not satire.

http://tinyurl.com/5fbuul

[PGR88]

“She Blinded Me With Science!” - Thomas Dolby

[Rebelbase]

As best I can tell, the article title is misleading. The Prof hasn’t sued anyone, only threated it.

http://tinyurl.com/5fbuul
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013943/posts

[mgc1122]

Well, real life has a sense of humor then.

“A Dartmouth lecturer is suing her class for discrimination, as she revealed in a series of regrettable and bizarre emails that promptly ended up all over Dartmouth blogs. Priya Venkatesan (Dartmouth ‘90, MS in Genetics, PhD in literature) emailed members of her Winter ‘08 Writing 5 class Saturday night to announce her intention to seek damages from them for their being mean to her.”

Based on that, “why” would I assume a follow up article on true story is satire?

[iowamark]

It is really difficult to satirize lefties like this because they are so absurd in real life.

[Bommer]

Dude post the word SATIRE when you post SATIRE!

[Jo Nuvark]

Surely this is satire. If only students WOULD
challenge these mind dancing elitists.

[Man50D]

Hehehe.

[Das Outsider]

Surely this is satire. If only students WOULD challenge these mind dancing elitists.

This would be very convincing and top-notch satire were it not for the following:

Dartmouth English professor Priya Venkatesan is suing her students for “mental harassment” and the college’s administrators for “failure to safeguard my emotional health.”

[M203M4]

This one is tough to construct satire for, because it is already a farce. The woman is certifiable - and, similar to what someone else said, it seems that the school’s policy of diversity-driven hiring (affirmative-action) led them to accept someone with questionable scientific merit, an array of personality disorders, and atypical stupidity.

[Jo Nuvark]

My bad. Turns out to be true.
There’s hope for our country.
Dartmouth....? Not so much.

[Das Outsider]

My bad. Turns out to be true. There’s hope for our country.

There is just enough verisimilitude for it to be a genuine story. The line between satire and reality is vanishing.

[ocr1]

ping

[joebuck]

"I would like to be on that jury."

The case would never make it past a Motion to Dismiss Complaint.

[fetal heart beats by 21st day]

http://www.dartmouthindependent.com/archives/2008/05/post-9.html

[NonValueAdded]

From the real story: "The remarkable thing about the Venkatesan affair, to me, is that her students cared enough to argue."

Thanks, John, for bringing this issue to my attention with your usual hilarious satirical treatment of the lunacy of the left.

[freema]

I can never decide which I like best, the post or the thread comments.

[Oztrich Boy]

Not as much as you think.

[Paine in the Neck]

They argued with my ideas,” she charged. “They questioned my authority.”

College students? Who'd a thunk it.

"Think for yourself and question authority"--Timothy Leary

[Colofornian]

Venkatesan maintains that some of her students were so resistant to her exposition of “French narrative theory” that the classroom became a “hostile working environment.” “They argued with my ideas,” she charged. “They questioned my authority.”

How is this much different than many thin-skinned threads around here? I've seen one post where a lawsuit was intimated toward another poster simply because somebody was "annoyed" (their word). And I've heard of many pressing the abuse button simply because they didn't like the negative presentation of their faith.