Adjunct hustles students for $60k

[ciao_yall]

Just checked out Prof. Wisner's websites, and found that she was following her own advice. She is on a mission to "cancel the patriachy", with the patriachy including a lot of the structures and paradigms that commenters here are referencing in declaring the hustle inappropriate.
She also advocates rejecting the rules. Of course, one needs to finesse one's actions in that regard if the people and structures in power don't reject those rules.

If one is "audacious and unapologetic in one's quest to smash oppressive systems," runins like this are inevitable.

Working for social change is valuable, and it is essential to have business students think about the social change that their work supports, whether it aligns with their values, (what their values are rooted in), and whether there are missed opportunities to drive positive social change. From a pedagogical perspective, what approach is likely to be effective at a big school like Michigan State? Six hundred students is a lot of influence!

Well, she made $60,000 creating a oppressive structure (forcing students to pay) within a systemic paradigm (the hierarchy of professorial relationships) so I don't see what she is complaining about.

[Wahoo Redux]

Just checked out Prof. Wisner's websites, and found that she was following her own advice. She is on a mission to "cancel the patriachy", with the patriachy including a lot of the structures and paradigms that commenters here are referencing in declaring the hustle inappropriate.
She also advocates rejecting the rules. Of course, one needs to finesse one's actions in that regard if the people and structures in power don't reject those rules.

If one is "audacious and unapologetic in one's quest to smash oppressive systems," runins like this are inevitable.

Working for social change is valuable, and it is essential to have business students think about the social change that their work supports, whether it aligns with their values, (what their values are rooted in), and whether there are missed opportunities to drive positive social change. From a pedagogical perspective, what approach is likely to be effective at a big school like Michigan State? Six hundred students is a lot of influence!

Well, she made $60,000 creating a oppressive structure (forcing students to pay) within a systemic paradigm (the hierarchy of professorial relationships) so I don't see what she is complaining about.

For a mere $499 you too can learn to be a rebel and smash the patriarchy!!

Pricing -- Join the Rebellion Here!

Guess that's the price of a rebellion.

[ciao_yall]

Just checked out Prof. Wisner's websites, and found that she was following her own advice. She is on a mission to "cancel the patriachy", with the patriachy including a lot of the structures and paradigms that commenters here are referencing in declaring the hustle inappropriate.
She also advocates rejecting the rules. Of course, one needs to finesse one's actions in that regard if the people and structures in power don't reject those rules.

If one is "audacious and unapologetic in one's quest to smash oppressive systems," runins like this are inevitable.

Working for social change is valuable, and it is essential to have business students think about the social change that their work supports, whether it aligns with their values, (what their values are rooted in), and whether there are missed opportunities to drive positive social change. From a pedagogical perspective, what approach is likely to be effective at a big school like Michigan State? Six hundred students is a lot of influence!

Well, she made $60,000 creating a oppressive structure (forcing students to pay) within a systemic paradigm (the hierarchy of professorial relationships) so I don't see what she is complaining about.

For a mere $499 you too can learn to be a rebel and smash the patriarchy!!

Pricing -- Join the Rebellion Here!

Guess that's the price of a rebellion.

It's like Rand Paul trying to get everyone to get together and defeat socialism!

[lightning]

Wisner is a business professor, so it's just "capitalism."

[jimbogumbo]

I would add this to financeguy's list of reason that a tenured professor could be fired with justification.

[downer]

How many schools have explicit rules about professors requiring students to pay for textbooks, access to online platforms, or other class materials? I've never seeny any explicit rules.

I've seen plenty of professors require students to buy their textbooks. I don't really see a difference in kind with what this adjunct professor required her students to do. Just a difference in how much money they made from it.

I tend to think that a good deal of higher ed is a hustle, so while this particular professor seems to be particularly hypocritical and blantant in their approach, I find the outrage about this to be misplaced.

[kaysixteen]

The uni must go after this charlatan, to make her pay back the 60 large the school had to refund to the scammed students.   No way tuition paying students, taxpayers, etc., should have to make the vics whole here.

Now as to whether the kids have standing to sue, it probably depends on whether the charlatan has affixed their names to any internet membership rolls, etc., thereby making them publicly appear to support causes with which they disagree.

[pgher]

How many schools have explicit rules about professors requiring students to pay for textbooks, access to online platforms, or other class materials? I've never seeny any explicit rules.

I've seen plenty of professors require students to buy their textbooks. I don't really see a difference in kind with what this adjunct professor required her students to do. Just a difference in how much money they made from it.

I tend to think that a good deal of higher ed is a hustle, so while this particular professor seems to be particularly hypocritical and blantant in their approach, I find the outrage about this to be misplaced.

At both public universities where I've worked, professors can't make a profit from their own students. They can require their own textbook but either sell it at cost through the bookstore or donate their income afterwards. Not sure how carefully it's monitored though.

[MarathonRunner]

How many schools have explicit rules about professors requiring students to pay for textbooks, access to online platforms, or other class materials? I've never seeny any explicit rules.

I've seen plenty of professors require students to buy their textbooks. I don't really see a difference in kind with what this adjunct professor required her students to do. Just a difference in how much money they made from it.

I tend to think that a good deal of higher ed is a hustle, so while this particular professor seems to be particularly hypocritical and blantant in their approach, I find the outrage about this to be misplaced.

At both public universities where I've worked, professors can't make a profit from their own students. They can require their own textbook but either sell it at cost through the bookstore or donate their income afterwards. Not sure how carefully it's monitored though.

Yes, I've seen this plenty of times. Professors requiring their own textbook for a class, whether students get it through the bookstore or some other mechanism. At least there's always been at least one text on reserve at the library.

[Puget]

How many schools have explicit rules about professors requiring students to pay for textbooks, access to online platforms, or other class materials? I've never seeny any explicit rules.

I've seen plenty of professors require students to buy their textbooks. I don't really see a difference in kind with what this adjunct professor required her students to do. Just a difference in how much money they made from it.

I tend to think that a good deal of higher ed is a hustle, so while this particular professor seems to be particularly hypocritical and blantant in their approach, I find the outrage about this to be misplaced.

At both public universities where I've worked, professors can't make a profit from their own students. They can require their own textbook but either sell it at cost through the bookstore or donate their income afterwards. Not sure how carefully it's monitored though.

Yes, I've seen this plenty of times. Professors requiring their own textbook for a class, whether students get it through the bookstore or some other mechanism. At least there's always been at least one text on reserve at the library.

I think this is a common policy. In a couple grad classes we used the professor's own textbook because they really were the best and matched how they taught the class, but they always just gave us PDF versions for free. In on case we got to pilot test the new edition before it was published.

[Antiphon1]

My hat's off to the adjunct as a highly evolved hustler.  The real question is who was responsible for supervising this wiseacre? 

I'm surprised this hasn't happened at my place.

[dismalist]

Actually, I read somewhere that the lawsuit is not just against the hustler but also against two employees of MSU who are claimed to have signed off on the hustling.

[Caracal]

How many schools have explicit rules about professors requiring students to pay for textbooks, access to online platforms, or other class materials? I've never seeny any explicit rules.

I've seen plenty of professors require students to buy their textbooks. I don't really see a difference in kind with what this adjunct professor required her students to do. Just a difference in how much money they made from it.

I tend to think that a good deal of higher ed is a hustle, so while this particular professor seems to be particularly hypocritical and blantant in their approach, I find the outrage about this to be misplaced.

First of all, how much is the author of a textbook getting for each copy sold? It's certainly way less than 100 bucks a student. It isn't that uncommon for academics in the humanities to assign their own book that aren't textbooks. If anybody rolls their eyes it's because they think its conceited, but nobody is concerned about their financial incentives because even a relatively successful book published by an academic press is going to earn the author a tiny amount in royalties.

I'd also argue that it's the difference between corruption and an outright scam where an instructor demands a kickback from students in order for them to pass the course. Having students buy your book so you get money from it is certainly sketchy, and depending on the details it could have criminal or civil liabilities. I know I have to sign a conflict of interest form every semester, which I think might be required of all state employees. If I were to require a textbook I had some financial interest in and not disclose that, I could end up in real trouble I suspect.

[Antiphon1]

Actually, I read somewhere that the lawsuit is not just against the hustler but also against two employees of MSU who are claimed to have signed off on the hustling.

Well, then, did the two employees who signed off also benefit?  I've seen some really creative monetizations of classes but never a personal add-on.  I wonder if they also had to raise money, buy additional unrelated products or provide free labor? 

[downer]

How many schools have explicit rules about professors requiring students to pay for textbooks, access to online platforms, or other class materials? I've never seeny any explicit rules.

I've seen plenty of professors require students to buy their textbooks. I don't really see a difference in kind with what this adjunct professor required her students to do. Just a difference in how much money they made from it.

I tend to think that a good deal of higher ed is a hustle, so while this particular professor seems to be particularly hypocritical and blantant in their approach, I find the outrage about this to be misplaced.

First of all, how much is the author of a textbook getting for each copy sold? It's certainly way less than 100 bucks a student. It isn't that uncommon for academics in the humanities to assign their own book that aren't textbooks. If anybody rolls their eyes it's because they think its conceited, but nobody is concerned about their financial incentives because even a relatively successful book published by an academic press is going to earn the author a tiny amount in royalties.

I'd also argue that it's the difference between corruption and an outright scam where an instructor demands a kickback from students in order for them to pass the course. Having students buy your book so you get money from it is certainly sketchy, and depending on the details it could have criminal or civil liabilities. I know I have to sign a conflict of interest form every semester, which I think might be required of all state employees. If I were to require a textbook I had some financial interest in and not disclose that, I could end up in real trouble I suspect.

As with most things, I expect there's a lot of variation from place to place.

I've never been asked to sign any conflict of interest form regarding teaching. It seems like something that could be interpreted very broadly or narrowly.