By Sasha Williams

From time to time students gripe about professors, but when students in psychology 302-01 lodged complaints against visiting assistant professor Dr. Frances Fay Martin, they wound up with a new teacher.

“This lady [Martin] was just rude for no reason,” said Christopher Dudley, a former student of Martin’s.

According to Dudley and several other students in the class, conflict between Martin and her students began the very first day of class. Dudley said he asked the professor if students were required to take the final exam if they had done well on the others, since according to the syllabus their lowest exam grade would be dropped anyway. Dudley said Martin told him taking each exam was part of the learning process and would be required. Dudley said he still didn’t understand that, so he asked why it was required if there was the potential of it being dropped. According to Dudley, that’s when Martin lost her composure and snapped at him. “She said ‘You just have to take it and that’s it and this conversation is over!'”

After that incident, Dudley said some students felt uncomfortable asking Martin any questions, but he felt it was his right as a student to question his professor. When he raised his hand during a lecture with a question about the material being discussed, he said Martin called on him, but then reprimanded him for interrupting her.

“I feel that other people were afraid to ask questions. When I raised my hand people would actually say to me, ‘Put your hand down, it’s not worth it,'” Dudley said.

He took his concerns to Martin personally, but, according to Dudley, when they met she told him that he shouldn’t raise his hand during class. Dudley then went to Dr. Blaine Hudson, the Arts and Sciences Dean, who sent him to the department chair, Dr. Dennis Molfese.

Molfese could not comment on specific actions taken, but said that the procedure when a student lodges a complaint is to respond to the situation within 24 hours. The department chair speaks with the professor, the students, observes a lecture, and then decides what action, if any, is warranted.

“Students are consumers – they have every right to expect that they are getting their money’s worth,” Molfese said. “Professors have to show that they’ve done a competent job teaching.”

According to Dudley, Martin read her lectures verbatim from hand-held notes, and he also said it was difficult to hear or understand what she was saying. When students requested that she use power point slides during class, Dudley said Martin responded that she did not have to change her teaching style to accommodate the class.

Molfese said that power point slides are not required, but that it is expected that professors use current materials, and provide a syllabus with accurate information concerning assignments and meeting times.

“Teaching is pretty important,” Molfese said. “If you don’t do a good job teaching, you don’t get promoted.”

U of L’s student advocate Prafula Sheth said she could not divulge how many complaints were received in this case, but said, “This all started with an e-mail.”

Students in Martin’s class started an electronic forum for complaints about the professor and dedicated a Facebook group to their grievances. One student sent an e-mail to the entire class, urging them to take their complaints to Molfese.

“If there is a problem, there are ways to address it rather than just be angry,” Sheth said. “If there is an issue that affects students’ success, they can always call or e-mail me.”

While Sheth said she can’t represent students, she can tell them what steps to take when they experience problems, report student concerns to the assistant provost, and then if necessary, to the provost herself. Sheth advised students to first discuss any problems with the professor personally, and then with fellow classmates.

“If you have a negative reaction [to a professor], bounce it off other people – but if nine out of 10 people have the same problem, there is a problem somewhere,” Sheth said.

If students still feel that the professor is being unreasonable they should report the situation to the department chair and to their student advocate.

Dudley said that after the department chair observed Martin’s lecture, an e-mail was sent to students informing them that a new professor would be taking over the class.

Bridget Swann, another studentin the 302-01 class said she was relieved that the situation was remedied so quickly.

“If I am going to take a class, I want to get the most out of it, and I didn’t feel like I was learning anything,” Swann said. “I felt like there was so much tension between her and the students that I didn’t feel like I could concentrate.”

Students experiencing difficulties with a professor should report the problem to the department chair within their major, or contact the student advocate Sheth at 852-8113 or advocate@louisville.edu.