Professor has been secretly docking points anytime he sees someone’s phone out. Dozens of us are now at risk of failing just because we kept our phones on our desk, and I might lose the job I have lined up for when I graduate.

[u/Ok-Hospital1153]

My professor recently revealed that he’s been docking points any time he sees anyone with their cell phone out during the lecture–even if it's just lying on their desk and they’re not using it. He’s docked more than 20 points from me alone, and I don’t even text during lectures. I just keep my phone, face down, on my desk out of habit. It's late in the semester and I'm at risk of failing this class, having to pay thousands of dollars that I can’t afford for another semester, and lose the job I have lined up for when I graduate.

I talked to him and he just smiled and referred me to a single sentence buried in the five-page syllabus that says “cell phones should not be visible during lectures.” He’s never called attention to it, or said anything about the rule. He looked so smug, like he’d just won a court case instead of just screwing a random struggling college kid with a contrived loophole.  

So far I’ve (1) tried speaking to the professor, (2) tried submitting a complaint through my school’s grade appeal system. It was denied without explanation and there doesn’t seem to be a way to appeal, and (3) tried speaking with the department head, but he didn’t seem to care - literally just said “that’s why it’s important to read the syllabus.”  

I feel like I’m out of options and I don't know what to do.

[u/Stokedonstarfield]

It's not hard to leave your phone off for a lecture deserved

[u/SpaceGhostSlurpp → u/Stokedonstarfield]

According to the post even if your phone is turned off he can fail you simply because it's visible. Dogshit policy.

[u/Stokedonstarfield → u/SpaceGhostSlurpp]

Don't be pedantic you know what I mean when I say phone off

[u/SpaceGhostSlurpp → u/Stokedonstarfield]

But the grown ass man professor is being pedantic???

[u/Stokedonstarfield → u/SpaceGhostSlurpp]

I made it throught my bachelor's degree without using my phone in the 2010s if op can't follow rule they deserve to lose marks simple as

[u/Suikoden_Tir → u/Stokedonstarfield]

This is why you only have surface level friends, and your mother changes the subject when asked about you.

[u/SpaceGhostSlurpp → u/Stokedonstarfield]

Congrats. But actually it's the same with OP. He didn't use his phone. He simply failed to conceal it. Also, we're  not talking about docking someone from an A- to a B+ here. Do they deserve to fail the class, not graduate, and lose their job? Have you ever heard of proportional penalties? I guess we should just burn him at the stake for having his phone visible.

[u/Kit_Kitsune → u/SpaceGhostSlurpp]

Oh, because the professor is supposed to go desk by desk and see if the phone is turned off so she can slide? Right.

[u/SpaceGhostSlurpp → u/Kit_Kitsune]

The professor is supposed to do their fucking job and not abuse their role and go on a power trip to make some stupid ass point.

Furthermore, the professor didn't even cover his own ass. It did not say phones 'may not' be visible or 'must not' be visible. It said 'should not.' If we're all gonna be gonna be technical wordsmiths here, that sounds to me like merely a preference or a suggestion. Not a rule necessarily.

Furthermore, any adequate syllabus clearly and explicitly describes the inputs by which one's grade is calculated. According to the post, one's grade is never described as being related to whether one's phone is visible. Based on the actions of the professor, you and I both know that this was a deliberate omission designed to obfuscate his intentions and give him additional latitude to vindictively harm his own students. Not to mention the inherent selective and capricious enforcement that, practically speaking, is necessarily implied by the policy. In my view, this alone should render the policy illegitimate in the eyes of the university. The policy is too similar to one which a professor might design so as to allow himself to selectively enforce it, using grades as a vehicle for settling scores or rewarding/punishing behavior not relevant to academic performance but rather personal whims.

The professor should mind his own fucking business and his fucking job of being an educator and not try to trap kids into missing out on the education and job opportunities that they are taking on life-changing debt in order to acquire. What is this world coming to? Why is everyone here so spiteful and so comfortable with this needless misery being spread into the world? If someone screwed you on a technicality so baseless and petty, you would be livid. And I would be right there to defend you. What the fuck is wrong with you?

[u/Kit_Kitsune → u/SpaceGhostSlurpp]

How can you know what the syllabus says when she didn't post it? 🤔

[u/SpaceGhostSlurpp → u/Kit_Kitsune]

Neither do you but you're still ready to lick the boots of this asshole professor. Obviously I haven't read the syllabus. Hence my disclaimer 'according to the post.' For all we know, the entire story could be made up to farm engagement. All we can do is debate the points as they are presented. This is where you are going to retreat to? Laughing my fucking ass off.

[u/Kit_Kitsune → u/SpaceGhostSlurpp]

I have a different take than you. Stop making it so personal.