“Don’t fuck with the man who’ll have tenure before most professors have their doctorates,” Trent chuckles, and I match his smile with no small amount of glee when the professors giving me the stink eye pale with realization.
“You make a very good point. I’ll be up for review for tenure at the end of the semester,” I comment thoughtfully. “They gave me credit for my work with the university for this building and the other contributions I’ve made since then. It was part of my negotiations when they hired me, but you’re right. I need to prepare for that upcoming review. I’ve been preparing, obviously—” I’m cut off by Trent pointing behind me, and I turn to pay for my lunch with my prepaid lunch card.
Trent does the same and our conversation is halted by the grind of getting our meal choices and finding a table. Unfortunately and surprisingly, when we do make it to the dining room, we’re waved over by a group of my students, which means I can’t be student-Magnus, I have to be Dr. Lancaster, and I was actually looking forward to being best-friend-Magnus, which is by far the best one of the bunch according to my own very unbiased research.
Oh well. Next time.
Chapter 7
Trent
The next timeI walk into statistics, the TA for the class stands at the front with Dr. Marconni and Magnus, who’s writing an introduction to himself on the whiteboard. Dr. Marconni intercepts me and immediately pulls me out of the class.
“Mr. Bressler, as I understand it, you were propositioned by Mr. Hammond because of the sociology research you’re participating in with Dr. Lancaster. Is that correct?” Her harried tone warns me not to speak too plainly about anything we’re discussing, and I appreciate her diplomacy in this case.
“Yes, ma’am. He cornered me after class and offered me money in exchange for services I’m not inclined to render, and when I declined he threatened to have me expelled from the university for unethical and indecent student behavior. I immediately informed Magnus, because he promised to protect me from backlash if I participated in his research experiment.” That’ll do for an explanation of events as long as we’re speaking vaguely.
“Thank you for informing the university of this breach of ethics. Mr. Hammond has been suspended pending review, but you shouldn’t worry about that. Magnus is not the person to fu—mess around with.” The stutter over the expletive makes me smile, but she pushes on without giving me a chance to respond. “Unfortunately, until I can hire someone else, he’s the only math professor with the time and qualifications to teach this class. Since it is against the university’s ethics for a professor to be sexually or romantically involved with a student, it is easier to accommodate this change by moving you into a different class or providing accommodations for you staying in this class. The choice is up to you. If you choose to remain in this class, the TA will be grading all assignments and tests, and she will also be administering the tests. Magnus will have to come up with the curriculum, but Miss Bishop will randomize all the exams to prevent cheating. Not that I think either you or Mr. Lancaster would conspire to cheat.”
“I don’t mind Magnus teaching the class. I just don’t want anyone to think he’s giving me any special treatment since we live together. So, if that’s going to be a problem, then I should switch, but I need this specific class in order to graduate in May.” I might not care about other people’s opinions in general, but we’re in a crazy situation that could go sour if we play this wrong.
“I’m certain the university can accommodate you, but let’s see what Dr. Lancaster has to say about this,” she suggests, leading me back into the classroom without waiting for a response.
Magnus smiles at us as soon as we enter and waves us over to the front of the class. “As most of you know, I am Magnus Lancaster, and this is my roommate, Trent. Under normal circumstances, we would not be in this situation, but we’re going to be very transparent with you all.” He stops and leans in close to Dr. Marconni. “I assume we are making sure Trent gets the credit for this course no matter what?”
I roll my eyes at him. “You are not a mind reader, but yes, we wanted to know if you’d considered an option for my staying in the course while you teach it.”
“Of course,” Magnus snorts and turns back to the class. “As most of you know, I am conducting a bit of sociology research with my roommate, Trent here. Unfortunately, the ex-adjunct that was teaching this class made some poor decisions in how he spoke to and treated Trent because of my research, and now we are left with an opening in the schedule that needs to be filled. I am perfectly capable of teaching this class and have twice in the last four years. So, in an effort to assure you that Trent won’t have any benefits because he is my friend and roommate, I’m going to explain how the next semester is going to go for you all, including Trent and me.” He turns to me, waving to the stadium seating. “Please take your seat.”
I give Dr. Marconni a respectful nod, hike my backpack up on my shoulder, and take the seat I’ve been sitting in for the last few weeks of the semester.
“Let me introduce Emelia Bishop, the new TA for this class, and most of you know Dr. Marconni, the dean of the college of Mathematics. Miss Emelia will be handing out slips of paper with a number on it. You will write that number down somewhere you will have it or you can memorize it, because it will be your new identity for this class. She will keep a list of names and numbers, and I won’t have access to them.”
He pauses briefly, and a flicker of his expression tells me he’s lying, but I recognize it for what it is. Magnus has access to whatever he wants to have access to, legal or not, but in this case, he’s not going to go snooping or hack Emelia’s files or whatever.
“She will do most of the grading, and she will administer the exams. I already have the curriculum for this course ready, so I will give her the exams in advance, and she can randomize and adjust the problems so that only she will know the examquestions and she will have the answer key. As for the one paper you will have to write, that should be the only exposure to your anonymous numbers that I get, and I will grade them fairly for every student.” He pauses to look around the room, and points above my head and to the right. “Yes, Alicia.”
Alicia, whoever that is, clears her throat and calls out her question from near the back of the room. “There’s more to special treatment than just not knowing which exams and papers are his. He’s your roommate. He can literally ask you about any of the assignments outside of office hours.”
I raise my hand and Magnus points to me. “I’ve lived with Magnus for three full semesters already, and I have never asked him for help on any of my coursework. And in case any of you are wondering, I have a four point oh. My grade in this class right now is a ninety eight. If I thought I would need help from the professor to pass this class, I would switch to a different one, because yeah, Magnusismy best friend, and that would definitely give me a leg up, but I won’t need help. I just want the course credit so I can graduate.”
“I heard what Mr. Hammond said to Trent, and it was ugly. We shouldn’t punish the victim just because the only professor available to teach the course is his roommate.” That proclamation comes from a few rows behind me, one of the women in my auditing class.
“What’d he say?” Another student asks.
Dr. Marconni holds up her hands. “No, we are not gossiping right now. Miss Caulfield please come see me after class; I will want a record of your witness statement. The rest of you, the only thing we need to decide is if you all anticipate any issues with the plan for the semester going forward. Anyone opposed to Trent remaining in this class or to Mr. Lancaster teaching this class, please raise your hand.”
The person sitting beside me snorts and shakes his head, and looking around, the rest of the class appears to be in agreement with him. Not a single hand can be seen, and that’s a relief. I smile at my classmates, and speak up out of turn. “Thanks, everyone.”
Dr. Marconni claps her hands. “It’s settled,” she declares, and she starts walking toward the exit. “Well done, everyone. I don’t know if I’ve ever been prouder of the students of this university.”
With that, she leaves, and Magnus takes over, smiling excitedly as he finishes introducing himself and his expectations and then launches into the lesson for today.
I haven’t had a class with him or taught by him, but it only takes about fifteen minutes before I realize that he was made to teach. He’s personable and interesting to watch. He exudes confidence and a love for the subject matter that I didn’t even know he had. He takes all the questions seriously, and explains using different methods when a concept doesn’t track for someone.
For all the ways I know Magnus, seeing him in professor mode and actually teaching is an eye-opener. The man lives up to his name in his teaching space; he is amagnificentteacher.
When the class ends, and I’m packing up my notes, my seat neighbor, Josh, leans over to me. “He’s surprisingly good,” he murmurs, looking a little befuddled.
