Oh Yes She Did: Madonna Constantine Sues Columbia University For Firing Her Sorry Ass
Oh, Madonna Constantine. When will you learn? Columbia does not want you. They do not like you. And most of all, they want you to go away. For reals. And, like, not appeal shit and sue them and stuff.
That's right, Columbia University Teacher's College Professor Madonna Constantine, she of the noose-beribboned door and plagiarism scandals, she of the appeals to reverse Columbia's firing her sorry ass (and revoking her tenure) has decided that, since she's done everything else, she might as well sue the school.
According to the Associated Press, Ms. Constantine filed papers today with the state Supreme Court. She contends that her dismissal from the faculty of Teachers College was "arbitrary, irrational and unauthorized." Columbia University spokespeople have so far declined to comment.
Our only comment is to roll our eyes, snigger, and wonder why she's still trying. But, you know, maybe she felt she had nothing left to lose?
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Read more: Columbia, columbia teacher's college, madonna constantine, plagiarism, professors
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October 11th, 2008 at 1:41 am
Like this wasn’t totally predictable
October 11th, 2008 at 5:17 am
You go girl!
October 11th, 2008 at 5:23 am
Such an idiot. Private schools can fire whoever we want.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:13 am
If she somehow wins this, it will be the end of the world.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:18 am
“Snigger”? You guys obviously need to undergo sensitivity training, you racists.
October 11th, 2008 at 10:27 am
That’s pretty crazy that you would think “snigger” was a clever remark…I’m really offended…
October 11th, 2008 at 10:51 am
snigger…really?
you just lost one ivygate reader.
October 11th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Yes, because IvyGate is definitely racist. You’re ridiculous.
October 11th, 2008 at 11:47 am
You meant snicker right?
October 11th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
When is the government going to seize the assets of the Harvard Business School, Wharton School, and Columbia Business School to pay for the $800 million bailout?
October 11th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I don’t think IvyGate is racist, I just think that the author is insensitive. She didn’t have to put a racial slur in order to make her point.
October 11th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
I just assumed it was a typo for snicker. It makes no sense in the sentence otherwise.
Jesus H. Christ folks, ligthen up.
October 11th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
You’re *kidding*, right, commenters? “Snigger” is a word from the early C.18 — the OED dates it from 1706, actually — and it’s defined as a smothered or half-suppressed laugh, or as an intransitive verb, the act of laughing in such a fashion. It’s got nothing to do with race.
Next, let’s revisit the firing of a D.C. political aide for use of the word “niggardly,” which derives from the 13th century. (Granted, he was later rehired, after the NAACP condemned his termination from his post.)
Words are dangerous, and powerful; racism is a cancer in our society. But ignorance is transparent.
October 11th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Elizabeth is right, ’snigger’ is used in the same way as ’snicker’ a lot in books written in the mid-twentieth century and has absolutely nothing to do with race. Maybe the whole post wasn’t particularly clever, but it certainly wasn’t racist.
October 11th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Hey guys! Sorry, I’m writing my thesis on 19th century literature right now and used the historical spelling of a certain word without noticing. Snigger=snicker not, well, something else that we at IvyGate would never say.
October 11th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
SNIGGER (n): GIVE A SUPPRESSED LAUGH, A SNICKER.
You guys charging racism are all idiots. Apparently the smart commenters showed up later.
October 11th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
‘But, you know, maybe she felt she had nothing left to lose?’
…the last shred of dignity she had…
October 12th, 2008 at 9:03 am
What raised my eyebrow about Robyn Schneider’s article was the use of both “Oh yes she did” in the headline and ‘for reals’ in the first paragraph. Schneider doesn’t use mock hip-hop lingo in any of her other articles, but reserves it for this one about a black woman.
The ’sniggers’ comment at the end was over the top with the preceding context.
Verdict: lazy journalism trying to be funny that is instead ugly and offensive.
October 12th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
there are some really misinformed comments here. snigger is a real word, not some kind of underhanded slur. also, for reals is originally a california thing–i’m not sure i would call it ‘mock hip-hop lingo.’ isn’t this kind of knee-jerk response just a perpetuation of our problems as a society? don’t be so quick to level a charge of bigotry at someone just so you can stand on moral high ground. and props to all who defended robyn and her totally acceptable use of the word snigger.
October 12th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
There’s no denying that ’snigger’ is a real word, it’s Robyn’s questionable placement and usage. Compare the words used in this article to her other articles, and you find that she was coyly using Oh yes she did” in the headline and ‘for reals’ in the first paragraph. Like I said earlier, Schneider doesn’t use mock hip-hop lingo in any of her other articles, but reserves it for this one about a black woman. It’s an unfortunate series of choices on her part.
October 12th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
i dunno, “for reals” is p. white to be honest.
October 12th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
seriously? open a dictionary people. they even use snigger in HP… and if you’re telling me that JKR was trying to be racist in that book, well then I think we have a larger issue here, don’t we?
October 12th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I am ashamed to be in the Ivy League when my counterparts don’t know that “snigger” is a word. As for you, jimb: some people can take offense to anything, and you are one of them.
October 13th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Wow, race-baiting is alive and well, it seems. Snigger is in fact a word. For those who fail to understand that, grow a pair.
October 13th, 2008 at 7:28 am
If you left out the word ’snigger’ from the article, the article still sounds ugly by the nature of how the writer has played off of the the expression “Oh no you didn’t” in the headline.
It conflates her skin color with her behavior, and that is ugly. “For reals” indeed.
Seriously, this is juvenile writing. I’ve never seen so many defend poor writiing before.
And d10, I’m not offended by the word ’snigger’, I’m embarrassed by the overall tone of the piece. For an Ivy league blog, it reads no smarter than the Fox News blogs.
Read the context, people. If you agree with Robyn that it’s okay to use ethnic stereotypes to criticize a black person, tnen at least be honest about it.
It’s still ugly.
October 13th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
unfortunately, a black person playing the race card is also becoming an ethnic stereotype.
October 13th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
@jimb, chill out. Stereotypes are absolutely fair game. It’s hardly ugly and a poor piece of writing, you think everyone can write emphatically? Maybe you should try emphasising with people who don’t take themselves so seriously.
October 13th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Please note that ‘@jimb’ and ‘jimb’ are two different people.
Anonymous, I think that a professional writer should be able to get across a sense of moral outrage without resorting to stereotypes. Ms. Constantine’s behavior is fair game, her skin color is irrelevant. Plenty of academic misconduct has been written about without referring to their race. It’s lazy journalism.
And to Anonymous’s point: can someone explain to me how one goes about ‘emphasising (sic) with people”?
October 13th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
jimb, I know what you were offended by. And I’m saying it’s a stupid case you’re making. I challenge you to demonstrate that “oh no you didn’t” and “for reals” constitute racial stereotyping with malice aforethought. Both phrases have percolated sufficiently into common parlance to be reasonably used without assuming a deliberate minority association.
And in the case of “for reals,” I doubt that the phrase even has it’s origin in any facet of African-American culture. Among other things, it seems akin to “4 reelz,” which of course is a phrase one might encounter in a chat room or online game for which the dominant cant is “leetspeak.”
So when I and others say you’re out of line, we aren’t doing it because we’re “defending poor writing” (or, excuse me, “writiing”). We aren’t doing it because we “agree that it’s okay to use ethnic stereotypes to criticize a black person.” We’re doing it because we disagree that Robyn was being deliberately insensitive, or insensitive at all, and because we believe that the snit you’ve so pertinaciously reared is ignorant, unnecessary, and a gross parody of real racial issues. Understand that, and give up your silly allegations.
October 25th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Why would anyone plant a symbol of hate on his or her own office door? Would you deface your own property, your car, the door to your home with an epitaph or symbol of hate? Who, in their right mind, would do that to him/herself? Did CU ever find out who victimized Professor Midlarsky?
2007 saw a rash of nooses spread throughout New York and other random places throughout the country.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.c...
Why would Dr. Constantine victimize herself and bring shame and bad press onto the institution that employs her? As someone with years in school in working toward her credentials she would know that plagiarism is not allowed, and if she had a long history of copying others work, she never would have made it to the point she made it to. Someone would have caught her before TC. She was trying to fit herself into the mold of the existing research in her department on racial identity, which, by the way, does not and has not advanced the civil rights movement or human rights of any group in America. Such research has only been tolerated to make TC and CU “appear” diverse and “liberal” to others.To people who are taking their diversity initiatives/courses/winter roundtables at face value: buyer beware. All are moneymakers for the school, mere moneymakers. Don’t get duped!
One mistake of hers was discussing race at her workplace. Major NO-NO. There is a time and a place for black people to air grievances with reference to discrimination based on race and color, and the workplace is not it…..in the privacy of one’s own home or among other blacks at a non-work setting is ok. Dr. Constantine might have overstayed her welcome at Teachers College. I understand why she is suing, but I wish her energies were planning for the next part of her life, instead of plotting revenge on a school that might not have wanted her there in the first place, and surely not for the length of time she worked there. As a former TC student, there is the sentiment among the white students that blacks have no business attempting to teach them ANYTHING….and smart blacks refrain from trying to “teach” and “enlighten” the whites sitting along side them.
Managing one’s career also means knowing when to move forward, leaving one environment for another. I wish Ms. Constantine would be about that. If her intent going into the helping professions was to help others and teach them, she can do that in another capacity and environment. Still. I hope her thoughts are turning toward the next chapter in her life.
March 20th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
So why, in March of 2009 is she still on Columbia/TC web site as a faculty member????
http://www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/index.htm?facid=mc816
May 18th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
why are you all acting surprised that a jew wrote something racist? if only hitler had had a little more time…