harassment - Jezebel

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National Treasure
Are Professors Especially Vulnerable To Stalking?
Indian Women Ride The Ladies Special To Avoid "Eve Teasing"
Can Bullying Really Be Stopped?
Man Tries To Run Over Two Muslim Women At Gas Station
Harassment's No Big Deal, Says Egypt's Council For Women Spokesman
When You're Not Sure If Someone Is Masturbating Against You In A Crowded Subway
Boys Who Like Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Ballet
When The Nice Guy Down The Street Makes You Uncomfortable
Pen Pal

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Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
11/02/09

In reply to National Treasure
What are they mad about? Did she menstruate all over an important stone or something? What a bunch of dicks, living in the dark ages. #moiracameron
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LaComtesse
11/02/09

In reply to National Treasure
HOLY FUCK! SHE WAS MY TOUR GUIDE AT THE TOWER!!! #moiracameron
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Kivrin
11/02/09

In reply to National Treasure
Yeah, I mean, that uniform was clearly designed for men. A woman in puffed sleeves? Ridiculous! /sarcasm
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Edited by Kivrin at 11/02/09 9:39 AM Kivrin was starred Kivrin was unstarred

CurtCole
11/02/09

In reply to National Treasure
Yeo-man, that's not cool. #moiracameron
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ItchykooParker
11/02/09

@CurtCole: Nice! #moiracameron
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Ailatan
11/02/09

In reply to National Treasure
what's their beef? #moiracameron
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Diziet_Sma
11/02/09

@Ailatan: Win! #moiracameron
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applejuice
09/17/09

In reply to Are Professors Especially Vulnerable To Stalking?
Apparently general practice doctors get stalked a lot too. I've read this before and two that I know personally confirm that they had some pretty scary situations with patients stalking them.
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jccalhoun
09/17/09

In reply to Are Professors Especially Vulnerable To Stalking?
As a graduate student at IU, I think that a lot of the "stalking" isn't just the kind that we think of with the stalker in love or fixated with the person. I think that professors also get the stalkers who are pissed that they got a B+ instead of an A- in class and keep hounding the prof in the hopes that calling them at home, sending them tons of hostile emails and threatening to sue will somehow change the grade.

I haven't gotten phone calls but I have had tons of emails and lawsuit threats. I have ran into disgruntled ex-students at bars. Luckily, I'm a tall guy so that discourages most people who would think of trying some kind of physical violence.
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esnickers
09/16/09

In reply to Are Professors Especially Vulnerable To Stalking?
This is my first year as a professor, but as a TA, I had a borderline stalker. It was a female student (I'm female as well). She waited for me after class, called me, wanted us to be best friends, etc. When I finally followed professional advice and told her she could only talk to me in class or office hours about class topics, she got really angry, and insisted that I not be responsible for any of her grading.

Honestly, I still have all the emails she sent me because it scared me and I thought I needed documentation. And it made it really hard to teach her class with her still in it.
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BowlingForDollars
09/16/09

In reply to Are Professors Especially Vulnerable To Stalking?
This happened to a friend of mine, but she was female and her stalker was male. She worked with local police, who brought in the FBI. Law enforcement was briefed on his every move, including emails and any correspondence. Being stalked is terrifying and it's no joke.
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femaledwightschrute
09/16/09

In reply to Are Professors Especially Vulnerable To Stalking?
My mom, also a professor, has a 'mild' stalker. This student was a socially awkward guy who the others sort of avoided. He kept raising his hand Hermione-style. After the term, he kept calling my mom and emailing her with updates about his job, or where he is vacationing.. really odd things. It's like he almost thinks my mom is his mom. Case in point - new year, he calls my mom and says he is in Hongkong, how are you, etc.(an overseas call!!) Or tries to video call her . Nothing harmful (yet) but my mom has learned to not reply and avoid his calls as much as possible.
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bowleserised promoted this comment Edited by femaledwightschrute at 09/16/09 10:30 PM

Sarah Dove
09/16/09

In reply to Are Professors Especially Vulnerable To Stalking?
The first thing I thought of was the girl in Raiders of the Lost Ark with 'Love You' written on her eyelids.
Maddeningly, I could not find a picture of it.
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BytheSea
09/16/09

In reply to Are Professors Especially Vulnerable To Stalking?
I had such a crush on my freshman year biology prof. He was a House type of guy, had scruffy sneakers, maverick kind of teacher. Lonely girls far from home for the first time like that. I was all smiles in class, resulting in him finding me strange and possibly threatening, the opposite of what I was going for, of course. btw I didnt' stalk him, just raised my hand every five fucking minutes in lecture.

Professors can be seen as smart, sympathetic, possessing new fascinating ideas about a world the college kid has never seen before. It's all very titillating and to a certain kind of unstable mind, in a scary environment where there's no other support available, gloming on to one handsome professor can feel safe. It's the reason cults canvass campuses for new recruits - get em while they're floundering and likely to glom onto anything.
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wtfox?! promoted this comment Edited by BytheSea at 09/16/09 9:53 PM BytheSea was starred BytheSea was unstarred

charbott
09/16/09

In reply to Are Professors Especially Vulnerable To Stalking?
The professor in that picture was actually one of MY professors. He teaches chemistry. He's a really good professor, but it's pretty hilarious to think that some one would stalk him. How was this picture found anyway?
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PaineThisbe
09/16/09

In reply to Are Professors Especially Vulnerable To Stalking?
Oh dear, I just started as an adjunct and already I've had a couple of students seem like they are oddly attached to me.

What should I do?
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andBegorrah promoted this comment PaineThisbe was starred PaineThisbe was unstarred

andBegorrah
09/16/09

@PaineThisbe: Just maintain a professional distance. Convey to them in your tone and demeanor that while you are there to help them, that help is available in a very specific time and place, i.e. class, office hours, and email. And if their behavior ever becomes too familiar or inappropriate, be clear and assertive in telling them so.
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bocadelperro
09/16/09

@andBegorrah: this line works as well. "You know, I'm really not qualified to help you with that, why don't you speak to someone in (Student Counseling services). Here, let me give you a flier." (I keep a supply in my desk)
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andBegorrah promoted this comment Edited by bocadelperro at 09/16/09 8:42 PM bocadelperro was starred bocadelperro was unstarred

Casquivana
09/16/09

@PaineThisbe: Be clear about your boundaries. I mean, it's most probably an innocent crush or excessive admiration for an authority figure, just don't cave in about keeping your "professional face." Eventually, they'll move on. But if they do anything that freaks you out, do like @andBegorrah said and be assertive and firm in keeping your distance.
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wtfox?!
09/16/09

@andBegorrah: Seconded. Also, make sure none of your personal info. (personal email, phone) is listed in the directory, or in the phone book. I had this problem once, when I had forgotten I'd had my cell listed in the public directory during my first year in the program... The day after a student called me (IN THE EVENING), I went down to the registrar and made them de-list my phone.
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andBegorrah
09/16/09

@wtfox?!: If one of them asks me if I'm on Facebook, I say "What's that?" and do my best absent-minded intellectual face.
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SarahMC
09/16/09

@all: Damn, so many Jezzies are professors. I feel... unaccomplished right now.
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syndprod
09/16/09

@PaineThisbe: Not sure if as an adjunct you have your "own" office. However, back in my grad school days, we had a group office for TAs, and the head of the program asked that our office hours always overlap with another TA, in other words, never be in the office alone with a student. Sounds a little alarmist, but I wouldn't have put it past some of the over-achievers to say that they were harassed by a TA during office hours if they got less than a stellar grade. So maybe having co-office hours with another adjunct is a possibility?
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wtfox?!
09/16/09

@andBegorrah: Oh hellz yeah. I know some people who let students FB-friend them after they've finished the class and they never have to speak to the person again... But I think as long as you're a prof/TA and that person's a student, the potential for weirdness exists.
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Casquivana
09/16/09

@SarahMC: Hey, don't worry, I'm not a professor either, just the slacker, underachieving child, niece and cousin of some of them, hence my familiarity with the subject.
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andBegorrah
09/16/09

@wtfox?!: And you can't use the "Shite Gifts for Academics" application! And isn't that the whole point of the internet?
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andBegorrah
09/16/09

@SarahMC: But you still get a gold star.
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wtfox?!
09/16/09

@andBegorrah: Those are so funny because they're true! The various characters in my department are very well represented by Shite Gifts.
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FitzChivalry
09/16/09

@PaineThisbe: I'm a prof and I did get a couple comments. Often they like to ask semi personal questions All I do is look at them all in the eyes and answer in short sentences (avoiding being curt) and talk about work/lecture. They get the feeling early enough that any relationship outside of lecture and lab would never cross my mind. And if they want to know if I'm single I just tell them that my personal life will not be on their exams
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RustyHeadedGirl
09/16/09

In reply to Are Professors Especially Vulnerable To Stalking?
This is making me a little jumpy as I'm about to start working for a test prep company that instructs teachers to list our phone number and e-mail address for our students on the board at every class. So they can contact us with questions they didn't get to ask in class.

Now I'm thinking about using my first paycheck to buy a disposable cell to use specifically for that purpose, and a dummy e-mail address for same.

Note: I'm not trying to imply that teaching test prep is in anyway similar to being a professor, but just the article started that train of thought for me.
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Michael Bauser promoted this comment Edited by RustyHeadedGirl at 09/16/09 8:30 PM RustyHeadedGirl was starred RustyHeadedGirl was unstarred

Michael Bauser
09/16/09

@RustyHeadedGirl: I did test prep for a while. The only time kids are going to call you is when they need to tell you they're skipping class.
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