Adios, Marco Dorfsman. Qué lástima! Qué pena!

I suppose that I shouldn’t be, but for some reason I find myself continually – perhaps even continuously – amazed by the capacity of individuals to engage in extremely career-limiting – perhaps even career-destroying – behavior. I’m especially astounded when the person doing so is not some 18 year old Generation Duh-ster sending out a completely egregious tweet, but, rather, someone more advanced in his or her career doing something profoundly WRONG.

Into this latter category, I’m afraid I have to place University of New Hampshire associate professor of Spanish Marco Dorfsman, who “has been fired for altering student evaluations of another faculty member.” (Source: AP, via boston.com).

“This serious breach of ethical standards constitutes moral turpitude that cannot be tolerated at UNH,” the school said in a statement.

Moral turpitude, eh?

Who’d want that albatross hanging around their professional neck?

This is apparently not just a matter of crapping on/undermining a colleague out for some vindictive sport  – bad enough, perhaps even turpitude, but maybe not moral turpitude – but, in the case of UNH, “administrators rely on student evaluations when deciding on continued employment for instructors.” Including tenure and salary. Thus, it’s an attack on a colleague’s professional reputation and livelihood.

I’m not going to get too far into the wisdom of relying on the anonymous comments of a bunch of 18 year olds trying to score points or settle scores or slackily show off. But let’s just say it’s fine if their fellow students want to look at the ratings before they decide to sign up for a course so that they can avoid the demanding instructors and seek out the guts. Isn’t that what these slam books were for originally? But relying all that heavily on the anonymous “judgment” of kids in actually making employment decisions? How about having peers sit in on classes? How about inviting students to send in signed evaluations that will not be made available to the professor?

However daft it is, IMHO, to place much weight on anonymous student evaluations, Professor Dorfsman was, of course, dead wrong to swoop in and tamper with those that involved a colleague.

Dorfsman (e-)mailed in an apology to colleagues and students:

“Last December I had what I can only say was an emotional breakdown and I did a terrible thing,” Dorfsman said in the email...“There were mitigating factors related to a personal tragedy in my family and other personal and professional pressures that created a perfect storm in which I acted out from a very dark and vulnerable place,” the email said. (Source: The New Hampshire.)

Well, I’m a big believer in second chances (within reason: none for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, I’m afraid), and Dorfsman may well be a genuinely and generally great person, great teacher, etc., who just screwed up horribly “from a very dark and vulnerable place.” Still, it’s hard to see how his fellow colleagues, not to mention UNH students, could get past this breach of trust. (It’s also very sad to see that someone’s career/life ruined at the age of 50. But that’s what happens when you do something that’s really pretty awful.)

Dorfsman can appeal (“grieve”) his firing, in which case it will go to arbitration.

I can’t imagine that a personal tragedy could mitigate this sort of act, unless the colleague whose evals Dorfsman tampered with is somehow directly involved in it (which is leading my mind in all sorts of soap-opera-y directions).

Maybe Dorfsman can get his wronged colleague to go to bat for him here.

Then there’s also the possibility that Dorfsman had turned himself in – as opposed to confessing after he was found out – in which case he may have a case.

But he’s probably a goner…

Meanwhile, I thought I’d take a look at how Dorfsman fares in his own evaluations. Here are a few from RateMyProfessors, which I don’t suppose is the source UNH goes by for its tenure decisions:

Marco is fun and interesting. He incorporates a lot of things from outside of the curriculum - like vocab you wouldn't find in a textbook, and mannerisms of spanish cultures that are good to know. Disorganized, but it wont hurt you but rather help you- I didn't do my final paper and got a B.

Really enthusiastic about the subject matter and he made class enjoyable. He really wants his students to learn Spanish, not just do busy work. As long as you participate he'll like you, but he's really unclear with his grading and what he's actually assigning. He also never ever answers e-mails.

Professor Dorfsman was very enthusiastic about the subject manner, though I often found it hard to figure out what he actually wanted.

Sounds like a decent enough teacher, although something of a doofus.

But your average doofus doesn’t lower another colleague’s evaluations.

This situation is a pity. This situation is a shame. This situation is humiliating. But unfortunately it’s one that Marco Dorfsman brought on himself.

All made worse, of course, by the Internet age, which magnifies everything, and exposes everyone’s wrong-headed professional behavior for all the world – or at least all the bloggers – to see and weigh in on.

¡Buena suerte! Marco Dorfsman. I’m afraid you’re going to need it.