RE: Professor Agreed, Then Refused to Give Student a Recommendation Letter When He...
Was taking a class from my advisor. There was a paper due at the end of the semester. Turned it in, later in the week he needed to see me. Went to his office where he said my paper sounded similar to one of the books I referenced, that it was almost plagiarism. Said he knew how I wrote and that was not my writing. (Which was BS, I had never written a paper for him before, cause he didn't require one in his other classes. The only thing that came close was from two separate observation write ups that I did in group settings both times.)
Had me rewrite it. I did. Following week, same thing happen again. Said it sounded too similar to the book.
At this point it's the Friday before finals. So I rewrote it again. Turned it in after I finished my final. Truth was his class wasn't do or die for me. I took it because the subject matter was interesting and I just needed the credits toward my degree, not the class itself. Was doing it so I could have an easier final semester with fewer classes (I had 2 semesters to go at this point). Got an A in the class.
After talking to some others in the same program, was told he could be vindictive about things. I wasn't the first one to have that done to.
Then it hits me, nearly 2 weeks before I turned my paper in, I met with him for advisement on my classes for the next semester. He asks why I switched degree plans? I tell him nicely that I switched degree plans, because the Head of the department advised me to do so. As had the people at the Advising center (This was used by freshman and others until they found a degree program, or what I'm about to tell you.)
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Back up to the Previous semester finals week: I called my advisor from my apartment, as I was getting a D in Spanish 3 (final for it had taken place the week before. Grad Student teacher emailed everyone their grades.)
The degree plan I was on at that time required 4 semesters of the same foreign language. I had already signed up for Spanish 4 for the next semester, which was why I called my advisor to find out how I could change to a Spanish 3 class, enrollment for the next semester had ended.
My advisor told me I just needed to contact the advisement center, explain my situation and they could take care of changing the classes. He transferred the call to the advisement center.
I explain my situation to a guy. After which he pulls up my degree plan and says that my department now only requires two semesters of a foreign language. (I was in disbelief. I took a class and failed a class I did not need!)
The guy continued that I needed to just change my degree plan. He couldn't do it, only a professor in my department could. Before he transferred me back to my department, I asked why the language requirements changed. He said there were a lot of complaints about the foreign language department on how they were failing to teach foreign languages. So the college my department was in, the year before said it was up to each department to decide the amount of language classes would be required for their students.
My call was transferred to the secretary of my department. I explain everything to her. I ask to be transferred to my advisor. She says its better if I talk to the Head of the department. Before I can utter another word she transfers me. I talk to the head of the department, explain everything. He changes my degree plan. Has me confirm it on my end through my.nmsu.edu account. Which I do, everything is great. He recommends some classes to take instead. Thank him and hang up.
I sit back relieved to get that all taken care of.
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Back to me sitting in front of my advisor: I've told him why degree plan was switched. He's like ok. Doesn't seemed bothered by it. I explain all classes I'd like to take the next semester. He agree's, lifts the hold on my account so I can register the following week. Week after that, everything happens with my paper.
It sucked because I liked my advisor. I would go to the head of the department till I graduated for advising.
You see the degree plan I was on was one that was put together when my former advisor was head of the department. The only difference between it and the newer one was the language requirements were 2 semester instead of 4 and a one semester class that was no longer offered. (I was in the last class before it was discontinued.)
This is the only thing that made since back then and it still does today.
(Side note: NMSU's Language classes were the only thing I really disliked during my time there. It was a joke of a department. You went four days a week to classes that were taught mostly by grad students (Had one from the mid-west who had trouble herself speaking it). They spoke the foreign language from the start until the end of class. They refereed to it as immersion, when its not.)
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