This week the issue attracting the most attention was a professor’s policy on lateness. He had specified in his first lesson that latecomers to his class would be asked to leave.
Bearing this in mind, most of us were seated before his second lesson began. The professor said he really appreciated the effort we made. And then… one classmate came a little late. The professor kept his word, asking him to leave the class.
Our cohort has mixed views on what happened. Those who are fine with the policy believe:
- It’s the professor’s class and we should follow his rules.
- He already told us about his no-lateness policy, so if someone arrives late, the professor has to be consistent and keep his word.
However, other interesting arguments were raised:
- If the policy’s purpose was to prevent classmates from disturbing others during class (i.e. making others stand up as they squeeze their way to their allocated seat), then a student who’s already in class but wants to go to the toilet will cause double the disruption.
- Since we’re paying quite a bit for our tuition fees, we have every right to sit through the lesson even if we come late. (A counter-argument to this would be: If you feel you’re paying so much for your fees, you should come on time :)
- The traditional champagne fine is sufficient punishment.
I sense the policy’s true purpose is to enforce a certain kind of attitude, and not just to inconvenience others.
We could ask the professor to reconsider his requirements, but from what I’ve heard, this policy has been long-standing and is unlikely to change. An easier solution would be to simply come on time.
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