The latest local news circulating around campus is not the newest party list that Lehigh has topped or an influential speaker coming to campus, but that our university is being sued by a former grad student for receiving a C+. If this wasn't outrageous enough, she is seeking $1.3 million in damages.
Also, in court testimony it has been stated that the plaintiff, Megan Thode, cursed in class (the grade in question was in a master's fieldwork class) and acted inappropriately in general.
When I first heard of the lawsuit, I was baffled because of the ridiculousness of the case. I have received less than stellar grades before, but knew it was because I did not put in enough effort in the class. Thode is saying that she could not continue with her program and had to get a different degree, so she is seeking damages to make up for the loss in salary.
This is the second thing I am baffled about--if you are not willing to act in a professional manner, you will not receive good grades, and consequentially you may affect your future prospects, and possibly you directly affect your career, as Thode did.
What happened to taking responsibility for your actions??
As a Lehigh student, I am angered at this lawsuit. I hope Lehigh does not settle, and certainly hope Thode does not manage to win the case. I, as well as many of my friends, am taking loans to pay Lehigh's tuition and am working hard to get good grades so that I can have the career of my choice. It would be a travesty if Lehigh students, their parents or whomever foots the tuition bill ends up paying Ms. Thode for her lack of responsibility, decorum and hard work.
Additionally, Thode did not even have to pay tuition because her father is a professor at Lehigh. Not only did she receive free undergraduate tuition at York College of Pennsylvania, but she was attending Lehigh's College of Education for free (she did graduate, but with a master's in human development instead of counseling and human services). So she not only received all of her higher education for free and now has a job as a drug and alcohol counselor, but is trying to win $1.3 million from Lehigh, taking it away from students, programs, athletics, and scholarships that need it.
Lehigh prides itself on being a tough school that graduates students who go into successful careers. Ms. Thode's lawsuit undermines the legitimacy of our university and I sincerely hope that she does not win and that she learns some sense in the process.
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