<p>Thanks for the insights Charlie regarding the motivations of those serving as TAs. As I had stated previously, almost all of her previous experiences with them have been positive. When I went to college a million years ago, the TAs taught the labs but the professors graded all assignments thereby ensuring fairness in grading and consistency in expectations. With the decentralization of this function, the TAs have a tremendous amount of authority over their students, and with authority comes responsibility. Every student deserves to be treated fairly and to be listened to when they have legitimate grievances. This type of environment would not be allowed to continue amongst engineers and scientists in the work force.</p>