Ladies, let’s be honest. It’s not uncommon to feel like you’ve been cheated on by your professor—whether it’s a discriminatory grade, provocative innuendo or an inappropriate touch. It’s an ironic, yet totally relatable, issue that female students struggle with every term. Moving past an unexpected student-teacher incident isn’t easy, and the necessary actions aren’t always relevant. Should you go straight to the dean of the university, vent to another student, tweet it out, or what?
We’ve created a list of ideas that might help you deal with this stiff prof sitch.
1. Talk it out (if and when you’re ready)
If you’re the go-to friend that hands out advice to your girl gang, it’s important to know how to properly advise someone in this position. According to the University of Oregon’s Get Explicit student director Liz Arnold, saying things like “You don’t deserve that,” “I’m so sorry that happened to you,” and “What can I do for you?” are non-opinionated yet genuine phrases to practice. Arnold continues, “I work hard not to tell someone exactly what they should or shouldn’t do by advising them with all of their options so that they can proceed how they see fit. In some cases, a person just might want to decompress, and in others they may want to look into reporting the experience, and that decision is always up to them, not me!”
Your BFF may be a good person to vent to about your pestering professor, but a professional’s perspective on this type of issue might be best. If you can’t tell if the professor’s actions are socially acceptable and as widely relevant to every other student in class, approach and ask for an expert’s opinion. Utilize the university’s counseling services because they might be able to advise you in the best way possible.
2. Know your on-campus resources
Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. Consult your campus’s website for university resources to consider opening up to. Three important resources the University of Oregon recognizes to report an incident of gender discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual violence are the Office of the Dean of Students, the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity, and the Office of the Title IX Coordinator. All three areas have the sources and expertise to advise students on how to dissolve and move forward with type of situation, such as pressing charges, filing a complaint and reporting. Be sure to check if your local university or community has similar resources, especially if the particular situation needs attention.
One of twelve campuses, the University of Oregon adopted the Callisto App to provide another platform for students to confidently report sexual assault cases. Jessica Ladd, founder and CEO of Callisto, actually hosted a TED Talk sharing a relatable college story explaining how Callisto is an empowering resource for the tragic, yet solvable sexual assault instances. “We don’t have to live in a world where 99% of rapists get away with it,” says Ladd, “We can create one, where those who do wrong are held accountable, where survivors get the support and justice they deserve, where the authorities get the information they need, and where there’s a real deterrent to violating the rights of another human being.”
3. Remember it’s not your fault
Whatever your professor did to cross the line, don’t blame yourself. You are the student and that doesn’t give the professor the right to take advantage of you. Arnold said it best, “A college woman should never have to put up with inappropriate behavior, but many won’t speak up at risk of hurting her learning experience.” Don’t give your professor the power to manipulate your grade just because the professor knows he/she messed up. Your perspective and opinion regarding the situation speaks louder than any grade you might receive.
Think of the situation from a bigger picture. You just might be saving the next student who’s bound to have that professor next term if you take the correct measures to approach the issue at hand. Best of luck when you sign up for classes next term, collegiettes! May you never have to deal with an inappropriate professor, ever again.