In the syllabus, Professor Weyting stated: “If these office hours don’t work for you, let’s meet never.”
Photo by Jack Yang
UCSD Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) has publicly announced their decision to appoint Professor Yurstil Weyting to the position of Administrative Director beginning this fall. This decision comes with an uproar from Weyting’s students, protesting his failure to hold his office hours before important exam dates.
Amanda Engle, one of Weyting’s students, tweeted, “I’ve had at least four mental breakdowns over this class. This midterm is worth 40% of my grade, and it’s tomorrow, and Weyting hasn’t even released our last quiz grades yet!! I was in his office hours waiting room for three hours before I had to leave for another class. Ugh!!”
Other students have expressed similar frustrations towards Weyting’s teaching style. Weyting is rated 2.3 on ratemyprofessors.com, with notable comments including: “Even with the lectures at 2x speed his teaching puts me to sleep,” and, “I didn’t even know I failed his class until my academic advisor reached out to him a month before I graduated begging him to release grades.”
CAPS’ administration released a statement last Tuesday, claiming, “We believe Professor Weyting has proven himself to be an individual who cares about students and their mental well-being. Everything he does aligns with our values as a UCSD organization, and we are excited to bring him onto the team. We have full confidence that Weyting will be a great fit in the CAPS office.”
Many students are not surprised by the announcement. Gary Tarsen, a thirdyear struggling with anxiety and stress, offered his view on CAPS and Weyting’s appointment. “Yeah, I mean, this all checks out. The first time I went to CAPS I was in the middle of a full-on breakdown and they had me sitting in the waiting room for like two hours. By the time I was speaking to a counselor, I wasn’t even upset anymore. And forget trying to schedule a meeting with them — I had to wait three months just so someone could call me to get my name, number, and availability. It makes sense that the slowest teacher on campus is gonna’ be running things around there. I mean, maybe my next session will even be bumped up to this year once Weyting gets everything up to speed.”
Despite numerous student protests, CAPS appears to be going ahead with their decision. Weyting wrote, in an email to his students twenty minutes before a midterm, “You might not have heard, but I will be leaving this position. To compensate for my leaving later this quarter, you can expect the midterm to be twice as long and full of next week’s material as well. Ask your TAs to answer any questions later. Please do not email me. I do not like speaking to you all.
When Gage is not pondering time and relativity, she is busy spreading kindness and laughter, not only through sharing sushi with her friends, but also by making fun of the human condition and our shared experiences. In an ideal world, Gage and her cat would be battling mean people and making the world a brighter place.
