Victoria Alarcon
Sports & Health Editor
A York University tutorial assistant (TA) is under investigation after comments deemed unprofessional were posted to her Facebook page concerning the academic level of her tutorial students.
The TA in question, Bianca Baggiarini, posted comments to her Facebook status Feb. 22. They stated, “My student’s papers are making me dumber, so very stupid; by the minute. Please, make them, stop. They are infecting me with there huge and apparent stupidity, and I fear they will start to effect in my opinion the way I myself right papers [sic].”
Carlos Casasola, a student from the tutorial, was completely caught off guard by the remarks.
“It’s definitely not professional mixing work with Facebook, because that is public,” he said. “It’s like posting on a forum.”
Other students from the course, who wished to remain anonymous, were also surprised by the words.
“If she assumes that there is an issue – I mean, clearly the TA assumed there was an issue by calling [the students] stupid – and the TA obviously has the opinion that her class is not understanding or really getting it, then I think the remedy should be ‘I’m here to help’ not ‘I’m going to post it on Facebook,’” said a student from Baggiarini’s tutorial.
The situation is currently being examined by the department of sociology.
Nancy Mandell, professor and chair of the department of sociology, expressed disappointment in the circumstances.
“From our point of view, we have 120 TAs, we have 2,500 majors, we have approximately 9,000 seats in sociology and we have great respect for our students,” she said. “We’re disappointed in this.”
Mandell confirmed she had spoken to the TA.
“We’ve seen the page; we’ve talked to Bianca. It’s very disappointing,” she said. “It’s regrettable and it’s very disrespectful to students, and we’re sorry it happened.”
The comments were taken down March 10 and are no longer visible for the public to see. However, social science TA Hans Rollmann says students may not be able to trust the TA after seeing the comments.
“I think it demonstrates a real lack of respect for students,” said Rollman, a graduate student in women’s studies. “How can students trust that someone is going to have their best interests in mind and be trying to help them in that course if they are making fun of them behind their back?”
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3903, which represents teaching assistants, graduate assistants and contract faculty at York University, issued a comment March 15.
CUPE stated in an email “we cannot comment on individual personal matters of our members […] but we fully stand behind our members and their teaching ability.”
CUPE 3903 went on to confirm that there is no policy on social media such as Facebook or Myspace or on the use of it for their members. However, they are still looking into whether York University has a social media policy.
Whether an apology will be issued to students in the course from the department of sociology or from Baggiarini is still in question.
“I can’t comment on that […] I can’t comment on anything that comments on her behaviour,” said Mandell. “I can only tell you we’re looking into it, and there are a range of things that might occur. But I can’t comment on what they might be.”
Baggiarini chose not to speak on the matter, only saying the issue is under investigation.
With files from Yuni Kim
TA under fire after Facebook blunder
About the Author
Hypocrisy much? Clearly, Bianca has no business bashing her students’ “dumb” papers when her own Facebook status message is comically riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes.
The mistakes are clearly intentional. That’s the whole point of her post. Hence the [sic] at the end.
Wow Michelle, you missed the boat on that one didn’t you?
Just out of curiosity… this means that she had added her students as friends? Am I awful in thinking that if none of her students were friends, this is not that out of line? People complain about work on Facebook all the time. Of course, if she had students who could read her comments, that is wildly inappropriate.
At the time she made her posts, Bianca’s Facebook profile was public (and yes, the spelling mistakes are accurate quotations), so it really doesn’t matter how many of her students were on her friends list at the time.
The municipal editorial board of the Toronto Star and York University wish to extend their sincere thanks to Hans Rollmann for his unflagging assistance in bringing this matter to the attention of the public and for his willingness to be interviewed in the press. We appreciate how difficult it must have been for Mr. Rollmann to open up to the public about what is obviously a very sensitive and personal matter for him, for Bianca’s students and for the York University community.
Katelyn nailed it. When I was a TA, the first day of orientation we were told in no uncertain terms that your students aren’t your friends, facebook or otherwise. You have a duty to keep a certain distance while you are responsible for their grades.
That said, even with tightened privacy, there are always leaks, so one should never post names.
And York sociology is so big, that there is no chance of something not getting back to someone.
Baggiarini generalizes her charge of stupidity over a group of sociology students in hir one pour Inglish – perhaps this is an argument in itself for INCREASING public statements of scorn for lousy work?
The TA in question has every right to express her thoughts on her own facebook page. Maybe now, York University will begin to demand from its undergraduate students the ability to write succinctly and critically. Oh, but I suppose there isn’t much time to teach when York is working day and night on its “Brand” name.
Team Bianca.
She does have every right to express herself, in whatever way necessary. Thats what Facebook and much of the internet has become, the medium of expression. However, she is a professional in a position of authority. Everything she does and says is going to be scrutinized. Maybe she should think about the consequences to hake her actions if she wants to continue to TA and further her career, so things like this don’t jeopardize her professional life. I’m not saying what she did was wrong, but it wasn’t right to post it on the net.
Umm…irony-blind much? Did it occur to you that the appalling grammar and punctuation errors were intentional? The point is quite obviously to illustrate in a humourous manner the fact that her idiot students are infecting her with their moron microbes. Obviously they got to you as well. Or perchance you are one of the students in question?
I don’t attend York University, but I am offended because my sister goes to that school. Just another arrogant , self-centered TA who thinks they are better than everyone. That TA may be a scholar, but she has no common sense whatsoever.
I am sure the union will suspend her with pay and will fight not to have her fired.
John, have you TA’d? The next time you spend four hours making a lesson, 20 hours correcting, and 6 hours with your office door open to anyone with questions, and all you get in return is a blank stare/slackjawed look, or whiny emails at 2 am the night before an assignment is due asking HOW to do the assignment, or lame excuses for why they didn’t hand in a sinlge assignment but now they need your undivided attention the day before the exam even though you have experiemtns to run and classes of your own, then…..and ONLY then, can you talk to me about students getting respect. How about some respect for the poor TA paid well below the poverty line to work 70 hours/week.
Not so fast, Michelle. If you’ve, ever, seen student essays, you’d see, that Bianca’s Tweet was pretty funny. Comma.
I agree Peter. As a TA at York I must say that some of the work I get handed into me is less than acceptable.That being said, I don’t have facebook but if I did I would not post such a comment. I’m all for pointing out student’s errors but I’m also all for helping them improve. After all, I’m not getting paid the big bucks to bitch about students who I’m supposed to be helping–perhaps the TA in question here is herself a DUMB TA who doesn’t know how to teach. Thoughts?
Um, not that I am excusing this TA’s actions but I am pretty sure the spelling and grammar was purposefully parodic. She’s mocking her students’ lack of writing (or editing) skills.
Please give this TA a break. Facebook is not a “public” forum, it’s a digital community of friends. Sure this status post to her friends, while clever and maybe even true, was mildly inappropriate for anyone in a junior teaching assistant position. But it’s now time for everyone to learn from this mistake. She should post an apology asap and everyone else should move to forgiveness mode. We’re all not perfect either.
Hello. I am a reporter who would like to talk to people in the York community about this — pro or con. Please call me at 416-869-4246 or email: vhauch@thestar.ca
Thank you.
There is overreaction on the part of the faculty/university.
This generic criticism of undergrads has always been uttered by the mouthes of TAs. I have heard it spoken in coffee shops, lobbies, lecture halls, departmental staff rooms, computer labs, etc. In the past, these scathing/condescending remarks were equally as public, but never left a paper trail that could be followed. The fact that a physical record exists of her comment has led the university to “over-react”. (admittedly to conform to their policy on anti-oppression)
Undergrads must understand that TAs are aspiring academics. They take pride in the quality of their work (which often forms the basis of their professional identity), and frequently find it difficult to accept academic behavior that they find unbecoming. They loose sight of the fact that they too were, at a point in time, undergrads. They forget that they made simple spelling mistakes, grammatical slips and logical flops early in their academic careers.
When all is said and done, however, the comment was an innocent one, directed at friends, and intended to be humorous. It was once said that a person can only take offense, but never give it. Becoming offended depends upon how people interpret and weigh what has been said to them. When faced by an ‘offensive’ comment, a person can choose to become angry and belligerent, or simply ignore it and take the ethical high-ground.
The undergrads who were criticized walk away with hurt feelings – painful perhaps, yet inconsequential. Bianca, on the other hand, faces reprimand and a possible threat to her future career. Ask yourself this: “does a simple error in judgement, and no real harm done, truly warrant such backlash?”
Frankly, it is petty.
Posting the comment on facebook showed poor judgement – but I`d be willing to bet that everyone who has ever been faced with a stack of undergrad papers has had similar thoughts, and comments along these lines are made daily in every faculty lounge in the country. I was a TA at York for years, and every fall was the same – new grad students would start teaching, excited about their subject and their students. And then the first set of essays would come in.
While many students do apply themselves to their work, a small but significant number hand in what is clearly a first draft of complete drivel hastily thrown together from internet sources and written at the least minute. I`m not talking about students who struggle with language, learning disabilities, or writing and research; I`m talking about those with so little respect for the person marking that they think he or she won`t notice that they`ve printed their paper in 15-point font with 2-inch margins and haven`t even bothered to run spell check. These are the same students who expect at least a B just for showing up, ignore carefully-written comments explaining the shortcomings of the work and what the student could do to improve, and appeal every grade knowing occasionally they`ll get lucky.
How many outraged and offended students know, deep down, that just maybe some of the scorn is deserved? The TA didn’t call her students stupid – she called the papers stupid. I’m betting at least a few of them were.
TAs are training to be professors– the highest degree of integrity and professionalism is required from such a post.
Even if some of the papers were stupid, she acted unprofessionally and her actions speak volumes about her character. While it might not be the most heinous offence, the standard should be set extremely high for those wishing to hold the highest academic ranks.
I am in this lecture but thank god that bianca is not my TA. I find if anything she is the stupid one considering she would put her student on blast but then add them as friends on facebook. I suggest that whoever are her student should unite together and not let her continue to teach the course because of those remarks.
Btw. ANKE ALLSPACH IS THE MOST AMAZING TA. I am so fortunate I had her tutorial as oppose to this bianca girl.
Bianca deserves this. She is in no right to say that the essays are stupid regardless of how poorly done or “stupid” they were. No one is a perfect writer, but because she is an academic scholar doesnt mean all the undergraduate students are. She needs to consider that not everyone is as good as she is – which explains why they are an undergrad and not a graduate student like her. Everyone is entitled to their own thoughts, but it would have been nice if she considered who would be able to see her status and what the outcomes would be if she had posted it – which she did. Speaking your mind and thinking your thoughts are completely different things.
BIanca is unprofessional and she should be fired! People can claim that Bianca has a right to be upset but clearly this woman doesn’t have what it takes to be a professsor. A good professor would actually go directly to the students and communicate her concerns. She would say to the class she found the writing to be poor and she would try to help them. A good TA is actually someone that CARES not someone that is going to ridicule the students. If I was a student in Bianca’s class I would immediately ask for a grade reapprisal because I do not have faith she will be fair.
If York University has any ounce of integrity then Bianca MUST BE FIRED ASAP!!!
I’m with ex-TA on this one. I really liked and did respect all of my students, but having to read those papers? There are always a number of them, as stated, where the only effort invested is in making it look like an actual paper.
As another comment states, TA’s are people who take their academics seriously. However this kind of response to papers is generally less about academic snobbery than it is about how incredibly painful it is to have to read the aforementioned papers, ask yourself what you could have possibly failed to teach these students, read them again and try to offer constructive input, read them again with that sick feeling knowing that a person’s professional aspirations are riding on their grades and you might have to fail them, read them again with the slowly dawning awareness that you have officially probably spent more time agonizing over how not to fail this student than he or she did copying and pasting from Wikipedia and changing line spacing to 1.5, and finally carefully word your comments, knowing that you are going to have to face the backlash of an outraged student, before you head to Facebook to write a witty (or exhausted) status update to blow off steam.
Another example of the need to be careful with social networking. If you are a teacher/TA who complains about your students on facebook, be prepared to face a storm of righteous indignation for giving voice to your opinions.
To all you outraged students, how many of you have complained about work on facebook? Perhaps you have said “unprofessional” things about your boss, coworkers, or customers. Most likely you have used worse language than “stupid.” So Bianca complained about the essays she had to grade–big deal! Get over it people.
From many of the comments I have read, the word “integrity” is thrown around as if it has no meaning.
A momentary lapse in judgement has been suddenly used to undermine years hard work and determination. The fact that she has made it so far in her academic career (and what such a feat requires) is entirely ignored. Phd students are individuals of great talent, who possess extraordinary fortitude and work-ethics. They are often overworked, and underpaid for the services they provide. In most cases, they are only years older than the students they teach.
Yet, they are expected to possess superhuman attributes. They should work without complaint, show no emotion, and make no mistakes.
It grieves me that we live in a social environment where mounds are made into mountains, and people cry blood at the most minor indiscretions. A society where multi-million dollar lawsuits have arisen from an undercooked burger, hot cup of coffee or minor fender bender. It is a society deeply reminiscent of Plato’s “mob-rule” and similar to the environment portrayed in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”.
I do not care about whether or not the TA acted “professionally” because my problem is with the job surveillance this implies, and Excalibur’s collaboration with management in promoting job surveillance. I’m sure the reporters who brought us this story thought they were clever, but they were just as anti-worker as the reporters who published that story about the TTC worker sleeping (thus leading to a smear campaign against this worker, a stroke, and his death). Ah, the pro-management junior reptile press…
The university has no right according to our Collective Agreement to punish us for errant comments made outside of work: EVERY worker complains about their jobs and it just so happens that the jobs of TAs include marking papers, many of which are lazy and far below the standard of academic acceptability. It’s not the students who attend our class who often submit these papers, but the ones who never show up, never come to office hours for help, and then complain about their marks later. Oh, and who probably complain about us on their facebook accounts all the time.
This is quite offensive because I have a brother who goes there, this TA absolutely has no common sense. She needs to be fired.
Dear Canadian public: The whole country complains that universities graduate students who can’t write, but we somehow expect that the most educated people in the country don’t get frustrated by this. Why not? They’re the ones you blame when students are illiterate. Ya’ll need to read the comments on RateMyProfessor.com.
Dear undergraduates: You don’t read, you can’t spell and you haven’t a clue about the rules of English grammar. You can’t think, your speech is inane and couldn’t make a coherent argument to save your life. That’s normal. That’s why your TA thinks you’re in university: to elevate your mind above the minimum literacy required for modern living. Now suck it the hell up and stop starting term papers the night before. You might learn something.
Dear administrator: if you want to run your institution as a client/service business, at least have the guts to tell your TAs that “the customer is always right”. Then pay appropriately.
Dear TA: learn to use privacy settings.
What the name of the course that she TA’s for?
Bianca was my TA last year and she’s a nice person and a good TA.
The fact that she is getting in trouble for this is ridiculous… She probably TA’s more than one section of the same course. It’s not like she singled out one particular student. It is unfortunate that her profile was public at the time she made these comments but I think that lately Social Media posts are being blown out of proportion in the news. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and self-expression. People need to grow up and get over themselves.
Shame on you all who are taking both yourself and social media comments too seriously!
Also, the people who said she should be fired need to get a clue. Can you honestly say you’ve never complained about somebody else on Facebook or Twitter? She doesn’t deserve to be fired over something like this. Yes, it was obviously an egregious error in judgement but saying she should be fired is taking it way too far!
I think we should all just take a step back if we are seriously thinking of hurting this womans future due to a single comment made.
Are we all now gentle flowers that can’t have a little criticism directed our way? If I were a student in that class I might think about getting my act together & start to actually apply myself.
Let’s stop worrying about the occasional venting or slip of the tongue & focus on the fact that we are a society of relative idiots & we need to get our $h!t together if we are going to survive. There are no government sponsored hugs in life.
Well maybe the next time you complain about your job outside of work hours in a local pub, “Mike”, you can ask your boss to have you fired.
She should be fired. She’s lazy number one – doesnt get back to student emails, doesn’t lead discussion doesn’t do anything a t.a. is supposed to. she’s a debbie downer stoner and looks like a bum. she isn’t a good t.a. she should be fired!