With articles and mash-ups of Professor Mark ‘Yawn Outside’ Talbert’s late October tirade now breaking the ‘Cornell bubble’, the Hotel Administration lecturer spoke with The Review today on the topics of yawning and student mental health.
“I’m willing to let it go,” Talbert said. “He’s also ceased interrupting my class. That was the last time he did it.”
While the professor assured The Review that “everything’s fine,” he maintained his staunch disapproval of the student’s actions.
“It wasn’t a yawn, it was a loud yawning sound, you know, like when somebody wants to put out the message to the auditorium that he’s bored. Everybody’s yawning, including me; it wasn’t a ‘yawn,’ it was somebody making an intentional loud bored noise week after week after week. It’s like, look, you don’t have to come if it bothers you.”
A video of professor Talbert, taken from the Hotel Administration School’s media website, surfaced on YouTube a week ago. After an unknown student yawns loudly in his Business Computing lecture, Talbert yells at whoever it is to “get up and walk the hell out! Yawn outside!”
Talbert, who hasn’t received an apology from the serial yawner, is convinced it wasn’t just a tired student. “It was someone systematically interrupting my class for six weeks, and finally pushed my buttons… obviously it wasn’t my finest moment.”
When it comes to handling student stress and mental health on campus, Talbert provided some advice. He said that his Business Computing class, although demanding and difficult, is very accommodating to student needs.
“I think the best thing people can do is to get prepared for things. This is no secret: exams are a lot less stressful if you put some time in preparing for it. We push due dates back if we feel like there’s a lot falling on one week. We have extra credit opportunities for students.”
Students in Talbert’s higher-level classes were surprised that he lost his cool. Milan Thakkar ’12, an AEM major in Talbert’s Visual Basic for Applications (HADM 4476) course, thought the outburst was uncharacteristic.
“This is extremely surprising, he’s one of the coolest professor I’ve ever had,” he said. “He’s never lost his cool before, not even close. It doesn’t seem like he has a temper.”
Systematically interrupting my class for six weeks, and finally pushed my buttons.