College is an Irony-Free Zone: “So you want to date a T.A.” Edition

Via
the great site
Inside Higher Ed comes word of a campus controversy at
Canada’s Western University in Ontario. As part of its “Frosh
Special Issue 2014,” the student publication The Gazette published
an article titled
“So you want to date a teaching assistant?” It features such
advice as:

1. Do your research. Facebook stalk and get to know
your TA. Drop in on his or her tutorials, and if you’re not in
that class — make it happen. Switch in if necessary.
Expert tip: Be good at the subject and showcase your smarts….

3. Get involved with the course. Ask your own smart
questions, answer others’ dumb questions, and make yourself known
in the class. Better yet, stand out as a pupil of interest. These
are mature and knowledgeable teaching assistants — they are likely
not looking for some ditz who will make a great one-night
stand.
Disclaimer: Some of them are, so if you strike gold, stop reading
and do as you please….

6. Know when to give up. At the end of the day, TAs
are there to guide you through the curriculum – so there’s a good
chance you have to be okay with that and only that. They may not be
giving you head, but at least they’re giving you brain. Don’t
be too disappointed though – after all, there’s always next
term.

More, including a growing comment thread that will make you swear
off Canada forever, here.

The article, reports Inside Higher Ed, has set off a
“furor”:

The union that represents T.A.s at Western posted
a response saying that the piece had essentially been “a
guide on how to sexually harass another human being.” The
provost wrote a letter to the editor in which she said:
“Not only does the spirit of the article run contrary to Western’s
efforts to have a workplace and learning environment that is free
from sexual harassment, it is disrespectful of the essential
contribution graduate teaching assistants make to Western’s
academic mission.”

More here.

Puh-lease.

#triggerwarning #microaggression: The article may not be that
funny, but only the dumbest readers in the world could react the
way the T.A. union and campus administrators are doing. Which
ironically makes the story funnier. If colleges and professors
(well, T.A.s) have so a low opinion of the reading skills of their
students, it’s no wonder they treat them like mental invalids who
need to be protected from any source of irony, complexity, or
thought.

Need to boost your blood pressure or heart rate? Watch Reason
TV’s “Trigger Warnings, Campus Speech, and the Right to Not be
Offended”: