26
Why do random students want us to help them?
It happened again last week, and we’ve been mulling it over since then. It happens about once a semester: a random student wanders into the Lair of Dr. Medusa and asks for help. No, this is not a student in our class, or a graduate student, or even a potential student. Mr. Random Student just walks in and says he needs help on his homework or his research project. (Yes, every time this has happened the student has been male.) Sometimes Mr. Random Student gets in touch by email, but usually he just walks in and starts talking.
In case you’re curious, our answer is always no. But we show him some kindness by not turning him to stone with our gaze.
But we’re curious about how gendered this is. Perhaps students these days just think that any professor, anywhere, should be able to answer any question they have. Or is it more that any woman, anywhere, is obligated to help these young men? We would love to hear about the experiences of others.