Students and professors don’t always see eye-to-eye. And it’s important to try to resolve any conflicts in a calm, professional manner. But occasionally, a professor will lose their cool, and the student may be left wondering what to do.

“I would suggest that if the student was comfortable, they approach the faculty member afterwards and ask to have a conversation with them, and indicate to the faculty member what made them feel uncomfortable.” says Sue Landolina of Career Services.

And when the student doesn’t feel comfortable discussing the incident with their professor, they can also go to the Student Success Center for help.

Irwin Nussbaum, director of the Student Success Center said that the first thing they would do is learn from the student what the situation was, and depending on the situation, they would help the student figure out what the next steps would be.

He also says that students should ask for help in these situations, rather than trying to deal with them on their own, because there are a lot of people that can provide support or be able to give advice.

And Landolina says that the most important thing a student can do is remain calm.

“You don’t want to be confrontational yourself. If you’re in that situation where you’re just bantering back and forth, it’s not going to be helpful in any way, shape or form.”

Both Nussbaum and Landolina emphasized how important it is for a frustrated student to seek assistance in resolving the situation.