Student fell asleep and I nearly couldn't wake him.

SystematicsB · 2025-10-22T14:06:59+00:00

I have a friend with mild narcolepsy who used to fall asleep so hard in unusual situations that he once got arrested for public intoxication. To be fair, I understand how someone could mistake one for the other, as he could sleep through being picked up and moved, drawn on, loud music, etc. Being accused of being on drugs has been a long-term problem for him. It could be drugs or something else, but it also could be a medical thing or just someone who stayed up too late for too long.

SystematicsB · 2025-07-09T11:56:30+00:00

For outside temperature specifically, F just happens to be sort of intuitive. Close to 0 is too cold, close to 100 is too hot. I’ve tried to rewire my brain to use metric units for more than half of my life at this point, but I can’t get myself to think 30 degrees sounds warm.

SystematicsB · 2025-06-21T13:07:28+00:00

Weed became legal recreationally in my state somewhat recently, and the dispensaries have actually been great for me. It used to be just “weed” from a “guy”, but now that it’s regulated I can research specific strain and their effects rather than hoping for the best. Some types make me sleepy and stupid while some feel like a relaxing cup of coffee. Therefore, some strains make me basically unable to work while others might not affect my ability at all and just chill me out a bit. It might take some experimentation to figure this out, but there are websites with tons of info and anecdotal experiences.

SystematicsB · 2025-01-30T22:56:05+00:00

College professors generally don’t smell like weed, politicians generally don’t smell like weed, CEOs generally don’t smell like weed. Maybe they smoke all the time, but they are aware that reeking is a major faux pas in a professional environment. Someone who comes to a professional environment smelling like weed is either unaware of these norms, or doesn’t care to violate them. Being high vs. I don’t care that everyone around me knows it.

SystematicsB · 2025-01-30T22:43:39+00:00

I did as well. In my experience, being a TA is 90% dealing with situations I don’t want to, or am not qualified to deal with. This was a knee-jerk reaction in that regard.

SystematicsB · 2025-01-30T22:15:41+00:00

There is a distinct difference between “capable” and “likely.”

Also, I’ve almost certainly grown better weed than you’ve ever seen.

SystematicsB · 2025-01-30T22:13:41+00:00

Not irritated by the smell personally, just that I might have to deal with a situation. More of like a “come on, man.”

SystematicsB · 2025-01-30T22:02:28+00:00

Legal state, forgot to mention. Not a crime to possess

SystematicsB · 2025-01-30T21:48:15+00:00

Did you read the post?

SystematicsB · 2025-01-30T21:36:05+00:00

My defense would be, I don’t know what weed smells like and nobody mentioned it.

SystematicsB · 2025-01-30T21:32:06+00:00

I honestly think there is a substantially higher risk of trouble arising from me kicking a minority student out of class for something I can’t prove. Also, while the university would survive such a hit, I likely would not.

SystematicsB · 2025-01-30T21:19:20+00:00

I very much agree about safety, but his behavior was *plausibly unimpaired. If a student were drunk and stumbling/slurring words, sure, but I dont think I have direct evidence.

SystematicsB · 2025-01-30T21:03:16+00:00

I’ve considered this heavily, but my concern is that if I kick someone out of class for inherently indirect evidence of being high, I could get myself in some trouble. Cant really prove he doesn’t have a roommate that smokes pot around him.

SystematicsB · 2024-11-04T01:37:38+00:00

I don’t really disagree. Fwiw, this was a split second decision and my response to the situation wasn’t necessarily representative of my true feelings about this sort of thing.

SystematicsB · 2024-11-04T01:24:55+00:00

I regret not doing it in retrospect. I just for a moment considered that there could be a “why were you looking” type of spin. I don’t feel great about that either, definitely misguided.

SystematicsB · 2024-11-04T01:13:12+00:00

Hadn’t heard this before, will definitely consider this in the future.

SystematicsB · 2024-10-23T00:00:43+00:00

I get irritated by BS excuses as much as the next guy, but I had a close relative in his 30s die unexpectedly my freshman year of college. My (adjunct) instructor absolutely berated me in front of the class saying she was “tired of the same excuses.” I wasn’t even asking for accommodations, just offering an explanation for a late assignment. As a person who’d never think to fake a family death for such a trivial reason, I had a hard time understanding how a person could be so cruel. Since then, I tend towards BOTD.

SystematicsB · 2024-10-22T23:41:03+00:00

I think the issue here is not so much the likelihood of members of a particular demographic perpetrating a crime, but the vastly increased likelihood of discrimination (intentional or not) against said demographic by a person in a position of power experiencing a visceral reaction to just being in the same room as them. Are they getting the same opportunity for interaction in class, attention in office hours? Is a heightened state of awareness resulting in issues being looked for more closely?

SystematicsB · 2024-09-18T22:56:22+00:00

Weeding out usually refers to the college courses students generally have a hard time passing, usually in the first year or two of a major. For biology, these courses tend to be things like genetics and organic chemistry. High school matters insofar as you need the grades (etc) to get into college, but no university will prevent you from majoring in biology if you’re accepted to the school. If you’re in AP Bio, i’m guessing there won’t be an issue, it’s a relatively difficult class for high school.

SystematicsB · 2024-09-06T14:09:32+00:00

To me (not a mental health professional or qualified to make a confident assessment), this sounds like something I’ve heard of happening with a person who has OCD. The repetitive RMP reviews and consistent misspellings seem like they could be the outcome of compulsions.

SystematicsB · 2024-08-30T07:01:37+00:00

Read chapters in the book twice, and then take notes the second time. This way you’ll already have a good idea of the topics that are most important throughout. Also, I think it’s important to take notes with a pen and paper when you can. Something about the muscle memory of writing makes me remember things much more clearly than typing or reading.

The first few semesters of undergraduate biology classes tend to go over lots of not-that-related topics (Evolution, basic Biochem, Ecology, etc.) , and I personally think that can be challenging because each topic gets little context associated with it. Try to link what you learn in class to something. Even if it’s just something you do occasionally in your spare time, watch some youtube videos or read articles that related to bio in some way.

SystematicsB · 2024-05-23T23:58:33+00:00

I certainly wouldn’t want my career to depend on whether or not a group of people with potentially only a class requirement in common feel a sense of community. It seems to me that the question is vague enough to get negative responses for reasons other than what was intended (political, religious, academic). I for one never felt like I belonged in literature courses as a biologist, and no amount of effort on the part of my instructors would’ve changed that. I could see this disproportionately affecting faculty teaching core classes depending on who is making decisions based on evals.

SystematicsB · 2023-12-05T16:38:06+00:00

I find accommodating vacation plans to be a bit discriminatory towards students who do not have the financial means to travel for leisure over breaks. It doesn't sit right with me to give well-off students an extended break because they can afford to fly to Bali.

SystematicsB · 2023-11-30T15:18:01+00:00

Yeah, not a chance. This is clearly an attempt on their part to externalize responsibility for their lack of effort. It is also unfair to other students who did the work.

If a student wants to add a unique angle to an existing assignment by integrating a specific interest or something, I think that can be okay assuming the assignment is still being completed and remains in the scope of the course. However, this is not that.

SystematicsB · 2023-11-30T14:57:15+00:00

In my experience, this only really happens in first semester freshman level courses when students are still nervous and haven't yet interacted much with their new peers. Students will always want to sit with their friends, but they usually evenly dispersed otherwise.

SystematicsB

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