Complaint Review: Miami Dade College - Interamerican Campus - Silvana Cobian STA 2023 Professor

I would like to start off by explaining who I am.
I am a very happy person and I am always smiling. Most people that meet me like me because of this. I have NEVER had a problem with a professor in college. I am very professional and own my own medical staffing company. I am not a 19 year old trying to have fun in school and I am definitely not a trouble maker in any of my classes.

The first day of class the professor (Silvana Cobian) has decided that she does not like me because I smile in class. She would give me horrible faces every time I smiled  and would ask me in a demeaning way, "Why you smile?!" I decided not even to smile in Silvana Cobian's class because she obviously had a problem with my face. At the end of class one day, Silvana Cobian, the professor grabs a girl that sits next to me and asked her why I smiled so much, what my problem was with the class, and goes on to tell her that she thinks that this girl (The student speaking with her) is arrogant because she asked the professor to keep going with a problem that the professor was having trouble explaining on the board. (we think) its because the student asks too many questions and since the professor has a hard time explaining and teaching, Silvana Cobian, the professor was not liking this student. Silvana Cobian, the professor then goes on to ask the student if she is Mexican (Not that there is anything wrong with being Mexican) but this student does not look Mexican in any way. She said it in a demeaning way to try and get the student to feel uncomfortable with the situation.

Another day in class and we have an exam. First of all, the exam had questions that we never covered. But I am not even going to get into that. I finish my exam quickly and she tells me that I can leave (In a very arrogant and MEAN way). When another student that sits near me gets up to give the professor the exam, Silvana Cobian, The professor looks at it and laughs to herself (in a demeaning and arrogant way) The student asked Silvana Cobian, the professor why she was laughing at her exam. The professor goes on to tell her that its because of her last name and that it was her maiden name. Silvana Cobian then GRABS the student by the arm and PULLS her into her, trying for no one to hear what she is going to tell the student. The professor began to ask the student why she had a bad face in her class. She proceeded to mock the student by putting on a face that the professor thought was impersonating the students face. The student felt very uncomfortable and tried to move away, when the professor kept grabbing her arm and pulling her towards her. Silvana Cobian, the professor began to interrogate the student about me and asked why I smiled so much. The student then began to explain to the professor that she believes that the professor was picking on a few students in the class including this specific student herself. One thing led to another and the professor pressed the student about the material and the student told the professor that she has a tutor. Silvana Cobian, the professor was insulted and physically angry at the student for having a tutor. She then continued to ask the student where the tutor went to school and how much he was charging the student. Silvana Cobian then told the student that the she did not need a tutor and that the professor taught the material (in her opinion) very simply. When she saw that the student was not going to give her the opinion that she wanted about me and the way class was handled she then told the student that other class mates were telling Silvana Cobian, The professor that they had a problem with me and other students in the class room including this student herself.

After class, this student approached me and told me the situation. We then approached the students that Silvana Cobian, the professor claimed were complaining about us. We asked them if it was a fact that they felt that way and had complained. Every student that we asked denied the claim and then told us that the professor had also spoken with them after class about me and tried to get them to complain and agree with her about her opinion about me and two other students. They then began to tell me that they felt uncomfortable with the professor and they even said that they moved to the other side of the room so that the professor would not pick on them. They said that the professor had a problem with me and that there was no reason for it.

Both me and the other student have decided to drop this class and made an official complaint about this professor. Miami Dade College, Interamerican Campus would not even let us speak with the Dean and we had to leave the complaint with the receptionist. We truly think that this professor should not be teaching and has made us feel very uncomfortable but we are very happy that we never have to see her face again. We just hope that she does not keep teaching and picking on students in class.

From my experience in this class I have found that in order to get through Silvana Cobian's class you cannot smile, frown, or ask too many questions. This does not sound like a professional educational environment for anyone to be in.

My professional opinion about this professor is:

- The professor should not be teaching anyone because she does not understand the English language correctly. She does not even understand students questions about the material and mocks students in an arrogant way.

- She is obviously a very unstable person and it is very sad that she is so miserable with her life that she have to pick on students in class to make herself feel better.

I truly hope that this information gets out and that she finds another career. Teaching is not her thing. 

Best Regards,

FP