Grad student sues for $1.3 million over C+ grade
EASTON, Pa. (AP) - Talk about grade inflation.
Graduate student Megan Thode wasn't happy about the C-plus she received for one class, saying the mediocre grade kept her from getting her desired degree and becoming a licensed therapist - and, as a result, cost her $1.3 million in lost earnings.
Now Thode is suing her professor and Lehigh University in Bethlehem, claiming monetary damages and seeking a grade change.
A judge is hearing testimony in the case this week in Northampton County Court. Lehigh and the professor contend her lawsuit is without merit.
Thode took the class in fall of 2009. Her instructor, Amanda Eckhardt, testified this week that she stood by the grade, saying Thode failed to behave professionally and thus earned zero out of 25 points in class participation, bumping her down a full letter grade.
"I ... believed she received the grade she earned," Eckhardt said.
The C-plus prevented Thode, an otherwise A student, from going on to the next class and advancing in her professional therapist studies, according to The Express-Times of Easton. She wound up getting a master's degree in human development instead.
Her attorney, Richard Orloski, argued Eckhardt targeted Thode because she is an outspoken advocate for gay marriage. Eckhardt testified that while she believes marriage is between a man and woman, she would never allow her personal views to influence her treatment of students. She said Thode had outbursts in class, did not participate appropriately, was emotionally unstable and failed to heed a warning letter.
Stephen Thode, the plaintiff's father and a longtime finance professor at Lehigh, testified on his daughter's behalf and said her participation score was highly irregular.
"I have never heard of a case, not just at Lehigh, where a student achieved a zero in class participation where they attended and participated in every class," he said.
Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano is presiding over the nonjury trial and will issue a ruling on Thode's lawsuit after testimony concludes.
Graduate student Megan Thode wasn't happy about the C-plus she received for one class, saying the mediocre grade kept her from getting her desired degree and becoming a licensed therapist - and, as a result, cost her $1.3 million in lost earnings.
Now Thode is suing her professor and Lehigh University in Bethlehem, claiming monetary damages and seeking a grade change.
A judge is hearing testimony in the case this week in Northampton County Court. Lehigh and the professor contend her lawsuit is without merit.
Thode took the class in fall of 2009. Her instructor, Amanda Eckhardt, testified this week that she stood by the grade, saying Thode failed to behave professionally and thus earned zero out of 25 points in class participation, bumping her down a full letter grade.
"I ... believed she received the grade she earned," Eckhardt said.
The C-plus prevented Thode, an otherwise A student, from going on to the next class and advancing in her professional therapist studies, according to The Express-Times of Easton. She wound up getting a master's degree in human development instead.
Her attorney, Richard Orloski, argued Eckhardt targeted Thode because she is an outspoken advocate for gay marriage. Eckhardt testified that while she believes marriage is between a man and woman, she would never allow her personal views to influence her treatment of students. She said Thode had outbursts in class, did not participate appropriately, was emotionally unstable and failed to heed a warning letter.
Stephen Thode, the plaintiff's father and a longtime finance professor at Lehigh, testified on his daughter's behalf and said her participation score was highly irregular.
"I have never heard of a case, not just at Lehigh, where a student achieved a zero in class participation where they attended and participated in every class," he said.
Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano is presiding over the nonjury trial and will issue a ruling on Thode's lawsuit after testimony concludes.
what they are missing here is stating that because her daddy is a professor at the school, she paid ZERO in tuition. Read some of the other stuff online regarding this-there's tons out there if you google it, you'll see for yourself she paid squat in tuition fees.
If I were the professor, my response would be "You want your grade changed, fine. I GIVE YOU 'F+'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The world needs ditch diggers, too. Get to work, honey.
Years ago my mother told me that in a college class, your instructor is God. You do whatever they require as long as it's  ethical and moral. For those of you who don't know, a C is the kiss of death in graduate school. Most instructors will do anything possible to not hand out a C. You can retake the class but in some smaller schools there is only one instructor teaching that class.  In her case it probably would not have put hero on probation since she had several A's to buffer the effects of this grade. It did however cause her not to be able to pursue her original program.
All this being said, graduate school can be very subjective. They have a syllabus, point structure etc.. but they make the decision on how all the points are addressed. When I attended graduate school, I observed a student and instructor that did not get along. That instructor made this class a really bad experience for this student. Thinking back it was harassment. Â This student did not continue graduate school at least at this university.Â
I think that once she was issued that letter she should have kept her behavior in check and worked to get her grade and complete the class. Once she left that class and that instructor no longer had control over her, I would then have spoken up regarding that instructor's beliefs and how they were not part of your beliefs. Now a days there are several places where folks can speak up about this behavior such as Facebook.Â
A hearing within the university would have been biased towards the instructor and not the student. Hearings of any kind rarely ever favor the challenger.
What a crock! Â First off, the instructor says this student participated inappropriately & was subject to outbursts. Â Graduate degree classes are often structured so that the students can engage in vigorous discussion/debate of complex issues, but the ground-level expectation is that it will always be respectful debate. Â I'm guessing that this student engaged in belittling, sarcasm, loud rants, etc. Â (I rarely saw that in grad school but once in a great while). Â
Then, the instructor sent this student a warning letter sometime during the course of the class, when the student could have done something about her behavior to impact the grade; she chose not to. Â
Finally, she now says (4 years later) that her C+ resulted in lost earnings of $1.3mm. Â Lots of assumptions there: Â first, that she would have ever gotten the desired degree (with that kind of behavior), second, that she would have made that kind of money (I want to see that present-value calculation and all of its assumptions), and third, that another job with her current degree won't earn her at least as much - just for starters. Â If this doesn't get tossed out, there is something seriously wrong. Â Grow up, Megan, & quit hiding behind daddy's supposed power.
@Smartypants You have to wonder how many times they've reluctantly upped her to a B, based on the reported desire to avoid issuing C grades; her threatening to pitch a screaming fit and sue everyone; her milking her previous track record for much more than it's worth; and her always playing the discrimination card at the first sign of hardship.Â
Wow - I was an A+ student in college going for my Bachelor's but got a D in statistics. Hated it, hated the professor, fell asleep in that class he was so boring and I was so uninterested. My fault, I suppose, didn't sue, went on, graduated, got a job, got a pretty well paying career going. I didn't even think about suing for that D ... man... guess I'm a dope after all for getting on with my life. ;)
"Eckhardt testified that while she believes marriage is between a man and woman, she would never allow her personal views to influence her treatment of students..."
It seems really strange that an instructor would openly express her beliefs about marriage. Leigh is not a religion-based university. Whatever the case, the student did not actively adhere to the department policies and neglected to follow the course requirement. The warning letter should be enough to throw out this case.
If this Student looses her case against the Teacher then I think the Teacher would have a case for suing Ms.Those for "defamation of character".Â
I wouldn't give her a Penny, 1.3 million??? This is ridiculous.
She said Thode had outbursts in class, did not participate appropriately, was emotionally unstable and failed to heed a warning letter.
 I would want statements from every student in the class pertaining to her participation and outbursts in class to verify the accusations.Â
Sounds more like Mrs. A+ didn't like not getting a A so she threw a tantrum.
Couldn't cut the mustard? Whining? Tough! I suppose she could have had a dummy attend each class and claimed that as "participation" ... or maybe she should read a good dictionary.
Or, just maybe, she could have taken the course again? A different teacher if she felt that discriminated against? Â
Hey, wait a minute ... a C+ is a passing grade. What's her complaint (stupidity aside)?
Sounds like a case of the prof victimizing the student. It's quite commonplace, they have you at their mercy. I almost didn't graudate with my master's because one of the profs on my thesis committee did not like me and refused to sign my thesis because it had "poor punctuation". He couldn't find anything wrong with the research itself.Â
 the  judge is stupid as she is to even listen to this
Ridiculous...flunk her!
Oh great, now people are going to start suing to get better grades!Â
wow....really?
Too little info but based upon what is here, the ex-student seems delusional. Wonder why she thinks she's of the correct mindframe to be a therapist?
I like putting the blame on other people as well.Â
Sue her for wasting everyone's time.Â
Well at least it's a more reasonable response than shooting up a movie theater.
You have got to be kidding... last time I checked a C+ is passing... her reasoning is ridiculous... once again this is someone acting inappropriately and is hell bent their personal failures is anything more than their own fault - I had a English professor like this that forced me to write my research papers a particular way and I did not agree with her.. but you know what I conformed to what she asked me to do and passed the class with a decent grade... I fail to see how a C+ is considered failing ... there is no rule saying if you fail to get a specific degree you cannot go back and REPEAT the darn class if she is so convinced that ONLY grade ruined everything... with my degree I had to repeat multiple classes to get my grades up for my very competitive program I wanted into... I chose to look elsewhere but I certainly did not blame my teachers for my personal failures as a college student!
What a whiner...
I wonder how many other C+'s she gave out throughout her teaching career. It does sound kind of like a spoiled brat situation but, it could be that maybe the teacher and her just didn't click and the teacher did it on purpose. Maybe there were other confontations between the two. The article states a warning letter. I wonder why that warning letter was not challenged. If it had been and won, at the time, it would not have warranted a C+. What kind of outbursts? This article leaves alot to be determined.
Why didn't she just retake the class and try for a better grade? Â
Sounds like a spoiled brat/daddy's little girl.
While I believe it is possible that the professor was unfair about the participation points (especially since she got 0 out of 25, which seems a little low to me no matter what happened), I think there should be some sort of statute of limitations. Since the student has gone on to earn a different degree, it's obvious that this incident happened some time ago. She should have protested the grade at the time. I'm sure the University must have some kind of process for dealing with these types of matters.Â
Seriously, I was going to rail this until I got to the 0 out of 25 points and gay marriage part. She doesn't deserve a penny of lost wages, but she absolutely deserves to have her grade bumped and a chance to pursue her original degree. I've had college classes where I said absolutely nothing and attended, maybe, half the classes and still achieved 25-50% of the participation points. I'd be surprised if the settlement includes a large payout, but I won't be surprised at all if she wins in regards to the grade.Â
"But, but.......mommy and daddy said EVERYONE got a trophy!!!! I want MY trophy, and I want it NOW!!!!! How DARE you say I didn't EARN it!!!! I'll have your JOB for this!!!! You don't LIKE me, that's your reason huh!!!" Errrrrrrr something like that. Suck it up cupcake. Looks like you should have been a better student than you were, and maybe you should seek counseling. If it makes you feel any better "Oh Entitlement One," someone else got your degree and is doing just fine.
I'd like to know where the $1.3 million figure in lost earnings came from. Â Was she offered a job based on her completion of the degree? Â Otherwise, how can you put a value on what you never had?
@JCCBlvu Sounds like someone is trying to make a quick & easy $ mil to me (speaking as a master's degree holder)
Really huh? Maybe she would not have been any good at her position and was fired or something. It seems they are predicting the future.
This lawsuit alone should be reason not to hire her. Â Clearly she is an unstable spoiled brat who is incapable of functioning properly in society or a workplace setting.
I was unaware that the entitlement mentality included getting good grades!
@donner well, now you know:  so hand it over, prof!  I shouldn't have to work for it.  Gasp!  :-)
Since when does participation play a role in college? The Prof speaks, you take notes, you show up for the test, you pass the test, BOOM! you get your grade. This structure is ridiculous in the first place and the case is utter nonsense! Give her the B+ and close this case!
@jeff In most of my graduate degree classes, part of the grade was for participation, usually via the point system.  It's very common - in grad school, you are supposed to be becoming a "master" - and therefore involved & committed, not just sitting there passively
 @jeff I had several courses in college that included participation in the final grade.  It really depends on the professor and the course.  Some courses and some degrees (particular a therapist degree) rely on conversational skills.  You can't be a good therapist without strong interpersonal, conversational, and quick thought processing skills.   I would bet the course syllabus outlined quite clearly that participation was a factor in the grading.Â
Participation counts if the professor outlines such in a syllabus and attaches a point scale to it. Perhaps this the professor's method of teaching and participation like answering questions or something was part the grade.
I agree that you need to earn you grades through hard work, but it does NOT sound like she's just a "whiny brat" like many seem to think. If you read the entire article, it says she's an otherwise A student and that the reason she got bumped down to a C+ was because her teacher gave her a ZERO out of 25 points in class participation. Now, anyone whose been in college should know that it is EXTREMELY difficult to get a zero in that section unless you didn't show up for class ever, you were disruptive consistently, AND you didn't work with the others in you class. OR, in this the the most likely scenario is that your teacher just really didn't like you. I'm going with the later personally and therefore, I think the teacher should have to change the grade. BUT the teacher and the school should NOT have to pay the money.
The article also states that the teacher gave the student a warning letter on her behavior and outbursts.
She said Thode had outbursts in class, did not participate appropriately, was emotionally unstable and failed to heed a warning letter.
Â
@swansong68Â The report of outbursts, inappropriate participation & a warning letter all before the final grade, tell me this woman has no case. Â She knew that she was not performing up to expectations.
@swansong68Â Yes, exactly. Â If she didn't listen to her instructor, she was not participating according to the class standard the instructor required, hence the zero.
 @shadowphoenix But if she didn't do the work, why get a freebie, grade, money or otherwise?  I don't think so...
Â
Also looks like the story was added on to since my original post earlier on. Â I still stand by my original thought.
Â
Each instructor we meet up with have different criteria for grades. Â It's the STUDENT'S own responsibility to make sure he or she applies herself according to what each instructor requires of the student. Â One instructor's idea of participation may be different than another's. Â Not the instructor's fault if she flipped out on participation.
Â
I am currently doing online courses for communication. Â Some of my instructors are sticklers for word count in participation posts; others do not care. Â Everyone has different rules; I knew it was my own responsibility to learn what each of my instructors needed to be counted for full points.
This is what happens when you raise your children to believe they are the best at everything and are therefor entitled to whatever they want. Reality check...life is not fair and if you want to get somewhere in life you better be prepared to work your butt off for it, unless you are a trust fund baby or a politician.
No, this is what happens when professors are allowed to impact students lives based on the mysterious concept of "academic freedom" and there is no accounting for bias on the part of instructors. An otherwise A student getting such a low grade is a flag, this case needs to be investigated.
 @Citizen#3457899654 SMDH.  College courses can be subjective and instructors are free to grade accordingly. Â
Hopefully it can't be changed by court order. It was change then it would under mine the entrie grading system and the teachers ability to assess students knowledge based on achievement. This one grade kept her becoming a therapist is had to imagine, what about a series of grades, attitude, work ethic, and the ability to interview well. Is that the teachers fault too?
Wahhhhhh, I'm too lazy to make sure my grade is acceptable. I am going to stomp and scream until they change it! Too bad. Deal with it!
Spoiled brat alert.
She needs to spend some time in jail as well as any lawyer who would take this case.
 @cyclops I disagree. People should be allowed their day in court. Hopefully, when she gets there, she will be laughed at, ridiculed, and told how the real word works, and she will walk out without the 1.3 mil, and ALSO out attorney fees, and fined for wasting the court's time.
 @RN1 The attorney needs to be fined also for being a jerk.