Generally, if a professor has been teaching at the same institution long enough, he or she may be offered tenure. Tenure represents an interesting area of employment law -- if a professor achieves tenure, it makes it very difficult for the institution to dismiss him or her. Oftentimes, only outrageous conduct, like a sexual relationship with a student, will be sufficient to fire a tenured profess.

So, does dismissing a class because the students failed to bring snacks suffice as far as grounds for discipline or dismissal? That is the question administrators at Sacramento State may be asking after a professor cancelled his Psychology 101 lab class because they did not bring anything to eat. Instead of teaching, the professor went out to breakfast with his teaching assistant.

In a handout the professor gave before school started, he listed homemade baked goods and fruit platters as "good ideas" and store-bought treats as "bad ideas." The professor told a reporter that bringing baked goods to class "encourages teamwork" and helps students maintain glucose levels as they work.

Students, however, are upset. The class that was cancelled was to have been a midterm review, which many of them are not pleased about missing. Many also think the professor's snack requirement is outrageous.

University officials are now investigating the incident. The 67-year-old professor at issue here only works part-time, so he may not have tenure. Either way, university officials may be seeking the advice of an employment lawyer to obtain more information about whether they could discipline this professor for his strange behavior.

Source: The Sacramento Bee, "Sacramento State psychology professor won't teach without snacks," Diana Lambert, Nov. 12, 2011