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Twelve-thirty
Posted on January 27, 2015 by David M Willis
woodyimageRuth returns to Woody After Hours!  The webcomic talk show will be interviewing her M/W/F for the next two weeks or so.  Let's see how she likes the ol' question and answer.  (Someone's probably gonna get punched.)

334 thoughts on “Twelve-thirty”

  1. Jen Aside

    See, JOE knows when math’s over and it’s time to study biology

    1. Tayo

      50 Shades of Grey: Indiana University

    2. cesium133

      Handcuffs? That sounds more like a criminal justice course.

      Though, Amazi-Girl isn’t involved, so maybe not.

      1. Dreadhawk177

        Joe can’t wait for some police brutality.

        1. Doctor_Who

          He has the right to remain shirtless and covered in whipped cream.

        2. Dreadhawk177

          I wonder if she’s packing a tazer.

        3. Deanatay

          Well, he won’t REMAIN covered in whipped cream… mmm…

        4. Chris

          Sexy times ‘It’s Walky’ Style!

          You guys remember that strip?

        5. Screwball

          You mean this one?

        6. Halloween Jack

          It does put a different spin on “Fuck Tha Police”.

      2. AgentKeen

        Sarah keeps hoping to get a chance to study criminal justice like that with Jacob.

    3. Cheryl

      LMAO! I CANT!

    4. Led

      Part of me is really starting to want a Joe-centered spinoff… Another part of me is kinda scared at what such a spinoff might contain…

      1. Rycan

        Might bear some resemblance to Least I Could Do, but with less narcissism.

        1. timemonkey

          That has potential!

      2. Coverfire

        I think a Joe spin off would be exclusively on slipshine.

        1. Do Over

          Joe Joes a Joe; the series

      3. Lord Geovanni

        See bro code article 34

        1. Lord Geovanni

          http://www.brocode.com/code/article-34

    5. Gigafreak

      Oh, I’d say the math has just begun. They’re going to add the lube, subtract the clothes, divide the legs, and try not to actually multiply.

      Wait, this is a calculus class, right?

      Well then, Joe’s going to be Penny’s integral. He’ll be the area under her curves.

      1. tyersome

        That was … seriously awesome … though perhaps a bit graphic?

        If you wonder why no one is replying to this, I suspect its because we’re afraid of being too derivative … please, if you are still functional give us some more excellent lines!

        1. Yet Another Laura H.

          I’m not crazy-good at math puns, so sighin’, I’ll wave goodbye.

        2. tyersome

          Don’t go, I’m sure all you need is a little priming to reach a higher order functioning.

        3. Screwball

          I don’t know, sometimes you just gotta find the lowest common denominator to make things come together. Reproduction seems to cancel out the differing elements well enough…

        4. tyersome

          It is good on multiple levels that you are factoring in the tendency to regress to the mean …

      2. StClair

        I’m tempted to go off on a tangent, but I should probably keep it real.

        1. tyersome

          Yes, hold on to your integerity! Anything else will lead to our decimalation …

      3. Deanatay

        So, that would make Penny Joe’s differential? She’d be tangent to him at EVERY point!

        Trust me, it’s sexy, if you understand the math.

        1. tyersome

          I am very impressed, but then thought about it a bit too much …

          Sorry about this curve ball but … wouldn’t they both have to be disintegrated for that to happen? Or are you suggesting he’s going to get completely inside of her??

      4. Tenn

        Don’t y’all know math puns are a cardinal sine?

        1. SmartAlec105

          Hey as a tan gent, I’d like to touch your curves.

        2. tyersome

          This would mean we are cosined to hell, right? Well that’s nominally better than going to heaven anyway …

    6. |Agent

      You mean…journalism?

      1. Jen Aside

        no, there can’t possibly be any ethics in this kind of journalism

        1. Deanatay

          Demonstrating a lack of ethics is a valid point when arguing ethics.

    7. Flimsyfishy

      Would have gone with Human Anatomy.

  2. Tayo

    oral exam time?

    1. Dreadhawk177

      Yes. To turn that C into an A, Joe will also have to F her in the A.

      1. Yotomoe

        Because she want’s the D and Joe thinks that’s BA.

        1. Dreadhawk177

          And to get that B.A., Joe has to suck many T.A.s Vajayjays.

      2. Plasma Mongoose

        And make sure she gets the D and not him. ^_^

        1. Deanatay

          Sooo much in-your-end-o…

        2. Plasma Mongoose

          And that’s how we like it. 😀

      3. Crazy Dina

        Just pray there’s no D (Unless the D is a condom. Then you DESPERATELY want the D with Joe) (The D does mean pregnancy, right?)

        1. John

          Generally it means “dick”.

      4. ninja_jesus

        So in other words, this is their theme right now.

        1. ninja_jesus

          Ahaha, Penny is about to be a VIP at the DMV.

        2. MiaKitty

          You are my favorite person right now because reading this comment thread THIS IS ALL I COULD THINK OF.

  3. Joshua Rotella

    Penny is a different kind of realist.

    1. JessWitt

      Penny the Pessimist. Yeah, sounds about right.

      1. Masterofbones

        I dunno. She seems pretty optimistic to me. She realizes that worrying about pointless matters is foolish, and instead focuses on the fun and happiness of life.

        1. Deanatay

          Indeed, the TA who is out to score with her students is highly optimistic. She’s sure she won’t get caught or reported on…

  4. Doctor_Who

    Does anyone else imagine Joe with the voice of H. Jon Benjamin, or is it just me?

    1. NCP19

      I am now! And it is glorious.

    2. Emperor Kiva

      I didn’t until you mentioned it.

    3. Plasma Mongoose

      I was thinking more of the lines of Homer J Simpson. 😀

    4. Hannah

      Well now I can’t NOT imagine it. Joe will forever sound like Archer in my head after this. Thanks for that. 😛

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        Now I got the voice of Captain Archer going in my head.

        1. JessWitt

          I got Bob Belcher instead and now I hear Joe as a sadsack.

      2. Doctor_Who

        Hannah. Hannah! Hannaaaaaaaahhhh!

        …Danger Zone.

        1. Emperor Kiva

          “Hold on I…….um…….Dammit I had something for this.”

    5. Kk

      … Goddammit, now Joe sounds like Bob Belcher.
      I mean, that’s kinda close to the voice I thought he’d have anyway, but now it’s in my head

    6. StClair

      Nolan North.

      Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

    7. Jen Aside

      I’d been thinking Daniel Henney =o

    8. Sir Robin

      No, I imagine Zapp Brannigan

  5. Dreadhawk177

    Works every time!

  6. Emperor Kiva

    Ugh, I thought Joe died

    1. timemonkey

      Joe will never die, he’s Willis’ longest lasting, most frequently appearing character. And a fan favorite.

      1. Emperor Kiva

        Great…….he’s not my fav. Joyce is my fav, to hell with Joe.

        1. Emperor Kiva

          Or at least the Dumbing Of Age Joyce. Screw the others

        2. Screwball

          From what i hear, Anti-Joyce would be up for that…

        3. Emperor Kiva

          You know what I mean. I don’t like the others.

        4. Screwball

          Fair enough. To each their own…

        5. Emperor Kiva

          Thank you, Screwball!

        6. Insanenoodlyguy

          A comic with all Joyce all the time and everybody else screwing might be an interesting if somewhat demanding on the artist Slipshine…

        7. Emperor Kiva

          Don’t make me get my Dubstep Gun!

  7. magey

    PENNY

  8. Angel

    slipshine plz

  9. Odditude

    I missed Joey 🙂

  10. AnvilPro

    So, how many teachers DON’T have or fantasize about sex with their students?

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Hopefully all the grade-school teachers.

      1. Doctor_Who

        Obedience school as well.

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          Every dog has his way…

        2. Crazy Dina

          AROOOOOOOOOOOOO!

        3. krveale

          *wipes away a tear*
          Ladies, gentlemen, I want you all to know that I salute you and all who sail on you.

        4. Plasma Mongoose

          Adds a whole new level to BOW CHICKA BOW WOW!

        5. Plasma Mongoose

          NYAAAAAAAA!

      2. Barf Ninjason

        *ahem* HEY-OOOO!

    2. Crazy Dina

      In this strip? None. (Although I’m pretty sure a couple of them would settle for teachers if any offered)

      1. Dreadhawk177

        There’s Leslie.

        1. Gangler

          She neatly subverts the issue of power dynamics by having her students hook her up with their older siblings.

          Issue of conflict of interests possibly still remains? I dunno. Whatever field of study it is where you learn about that sort of stuff, I haven’t studied it.

        2. Jen Aside

          by “their” I hope you don’t mean “their (own)” D=

        3. Gangler

          The older siblings of her students. I structured that sentence right, didn’t I?

        4. Jen Aside

          I dunno, I apparently can’t read =|

        5. Loquat

          Hook *her* up with *their* siblings – the students themselves are not involved in the prospective sexual activity, though persuading another person to have sex with one’s teacher in exchange for better grades for oneself does still seem highly questionable, ethics-wise.

        6. Deanatay

          She probably fantasized about sex with her students, until she found a certain hot, young senator to fantasize about…

    3. Yotomoe

      It’s probably equal to the amount of students who fantasize about having sex with their teachers.

      1. Rabid Rabbit

        There are generally more students than teachers by far, so “proportional” might be better than “equal”. (Look, it’s a strip about math nerds, and that’s about as far as my math goes.)

        1. Gangler

          Even then, I dunno if that’s true. Professors are old and fugly. There’s a very niche appeal to the power and wisdom they command in academic circles.

          Students are young and I think that appeal’s held more broadly in our culture.

        2. timemonkey

          Most of my teachers were fairly to extremely attractive.

        3. Yet Another Laura H.

          Even were your other assumptions true (not in my experience, although the only thing I find “fugly” in people are the attitudes of those who would apply such a term to other human beings), sapiosexuality affects a fairly broad segment of the population, probably more so in college.

    4. MM

      Pretty sure Professor Bean’s too busy crushing on a certain ideologically inappropriate Congresswoman.

    5. TSB

      Leslie fantasizes about her students’ appropriately aged family members! Good job, Leslie! Though she goes along with Roz’s scheming to hook up with Robin which is still an inappropriate interaction, though much less so.

    6. segnosaur

      Minor question… is Joe even a student in one of the classes that she teaches? We don’t even know what course she’s a TA for.

      There may be strict rules against someone sleeping with a student of their own, but if they’re not in the same class there’s probably no rule against it.

    7. Black Bumblebee

      Speaking as a married man, and a college teacher… I don’t need to. I already have my best friend as my wife… and she’s damn hot. 🙂

      1. Screwball

        All we can say then I guess is congrats…

    8. Joy2b

      Teachers can go through a wide range of emotions with students, but often they are colored in shades of frustration. Adults who have been out in the workforce for a few years are likely to see 18 year old students as immature kids.

  11. HMRC4EVR

    Well, at least Jason knows he’s got nothing to feel guilty over for banging Sal if his ex is riding the Joe Train to Happyville.

    1. Yotomoe

      That’s like saying I don’t have to feel guilty about thievery because every one I know steals. (although technically that is relavent to my life, ey piratebay)

      1. Drunken Nordmann

        Well, it depends on what they steal and from whom – I once knew a guy who came from one of the more problematic parts of town, and from what he told me his neighbourhood is basically a community of people stealing from each other – also stealing the stuff back their neighbours stole from them.

    2. 3oranges

      Does Jason have nothing to feel guilty over? It’s a shame there aren’t better examples, but still no.

      Does this strip make Jason look a lot less like a bad person? I think so. If he tries, it might even put him in reaching distance of ok-guy-who’s-been-a-total-idiot.

  12. Plasma Mongoose

    It’s different when the teacher’s a female I guess…

    1. Rosicrucian

      Or she heard what happened between him and Sal and is trying to get back at him since she offered herself to him, like, dozens of times.

    2. Gangler

      I don’t get the impression she’s being held up as a paragon of educational ethics here.

      If anything this looks like it’s a wake up call for Jason to consider exactly what sort of educator he wants to be and start acting like it. The fact that his actions more closely match Penny and her values than the values he claims as his own will likely be sobering.

      1. The_Bionic_Doctor

        yes, I think you nailed it

      2. Screwball

        If Gangler’s right, then I think a reality check may just about to start banging away, in front of him if he doesn’t leave…

    3. Rutee

      Not really, though Joe might not be one of her students. I mean, he probably is, let’s be real XD

  13. Rosicrucian

    I think I like this universe’s Penny a lot.

    1. newllend

      Well she’s not a crazy Psycho Girl here so its easy to get past that and see the rest of her personality.

      1. SmilingCat

        Not that we know of. Some sociopaths are good at faking it.

  14. Barf Ninjason

    If I know my sitcoms, I think she’s just gonna end up handcuffing him to the radiator and leaving.

    1. Screwball

      Ah, but at what level of undressing…

  15. Saine

    Nah, Jason’s totally an optimist.

  16. Jonathan Woodward

    Middle name Fredricka, no doubt.

  17. Yotomoe

    My enjoyment of a character is usually related to how sexually active they are.
    (or if they have lipstick. IT’SNOTATHINGIT’SPROBABLYATHINGIT’SATHINGI’MINTO)

    1. newllend

      So you have a thing for Sarah ? Didn’t know she was your type or that she had the ability to attract people.

      1. Yotomoe

        (I may like her a bit…yes.)
        Ways to make me like a character.
        1. Make her colored
        2. Make her strong
        3. Make her promiscuous
        4. Make her busty
        5. Give her lipstick
        6. Make her chubby
        7. Make it a lady

        If they fit all the qualifications then they’re my favorite cuz I’m BIASED.

        1. newllend

          Is there one character in this comic that fits all these traits ?

        2. Yotomoe

          Not at all. I don’t think there’s any character in fiction that I’m aware of that fits ALL of those although it’s not unlikely. I’m just not lookin’.
          (I mean I made a character or 2 like that.)

        3. Regalli

          Sierra definitely comes close, though she’s minus the lipstick and maybe not quite chubby enough and we have no indication of her physical skills beyond “doesn’t wear shoes”.

          I see now why she’s your favorite.

        4. newllend

          I think he means strong willed

        5. Yotomoe

          No, I literally mean physically strong. If a girl can punch through solid metal or german suplex something then she’s my favorite character in the show.

        6. Yotomoe

          (one of those qualities you mentioned may be my hidden #8 on that list hurrr hurr)

        7. JessWitt

          Well there’s Chan. Don’t know about her dating status but she ticks off a lot of boxes on your checklist.

        8. Ian

          Colored?

        9. Yotomoe

          (It’s nicer than saying non-white)

  18. JepMZ

    It would be hypocrisy for him to object, huh? LoL

    1. ChocolateRat

      At first I wondered why she didn’t even try to hide what she was doing even though it probably isn’t really allowed, (I think, I’m honestly not sure what the rules are for teacher’s assistents) but then I realized Jason probably isn’t much in the situation where he can tell on her.

      1. The_Bionic_Doctor

        but I don’t thik Penny knows about the Sal sexing? The one time she met them Jason was actually going to tutor Sal

    2. Masterofbones

      No it wouldn’t actually. He truly believes in following his personal code, he just is bad at it. Hypocrisy is when you preach something that you yourself do not believe.

      1. Gangler

        Pretty sure that’s just lying. Hypocrisy would be more when you don’t practice what you preach. As Jason would be if he were to start admonishing Penny for sexing up a student when he sexes up students and hasn’t even begun to try and correct that behavior yet.

        1. DarkoNeko

          I bet he will, next page. And there realise what it makes him look like

  19. newllend

    Joe is back on the Scene people, also WILLIS AIN’T HERE ! Let’s party and burn this sight to the ground !

    1. Opus the Poet

      Site, sight is something to look at on the road.

      1. newllend

        Eh whatever

      2. tyersome

        You really should cite your sources when you make outrageous statements like this!

        1. Opus the Poet

          For some reason I keep thinking about the OK college English teacher fired for posting an article on homonyms because they promoted the gay lifestyle (and I really wish I was kidding on that one).

          Seriously, I love homonyms.

        2. tyersome

          Yeah, the abbreviation for Oklahoma is just every so slightly ironic …

        3. The_Bionic_Doctor

          I… wut… how?

        4. No Name

          “homosexual” and “homonym” begin with the same prefix.

        5. Deanatay

          homo-nom-nom-noms

        6. gwalla

          Like the politician who smeared his opponent by calling him a “practicing homosapien”. It worked…

        7. Petroden

          ….but you say you love homonyms, so he was right after all, no? Or perhaps that’s what you meant. Either way, one more soul lost to the corrupting influence of homonyms. Truly, they must be stopped.

    2. Kryss LaBryn

      BUT WHEN WITH AMBER LEARN THAT RUTH IS SECRETLY SPIDERCAR AND THAT DINA IS ACTUALLY AMAZIGIRL?! DAMN YOU WILLIS FEMURS NICKEL FAAAACE.

      ALSO HEY IS ETHAN LIKE GAY OR SOMETHING?

      1. Deanatay

        IT’S PRONOUNCED ‘DIE-NA’, RITE?

        1. Kintrex

          Actually you can remove permanent marker by tracing over it with a normal one

    3. David M Willis

      hi

      1. StClair

        s’up?

      2. Spencer

        It’s the fuzz! Cheese it!

        1. Screwball

          *Sits back & watches the madness unfold, people instinctively running everywhere…* XD

      3. Mickeymau5

        IT’S THE 504! GET OUT OF HERE!

      4. newllend

        Aaaye man ummm about the whole “Burning this place down thing” uh it was a joke, caught up in the heat of the moment…shit.

        1. Screwball

          *Grabs popcorn, continues to watch show…*

  20. advancecasette

    the last time we saw joe with that much stubble I think was after he had been drinking the night before, as a crazy idiot I will now assume that he was also hungover in this strip, thank you

    *hops into garbage*

  21. Well_Played

    Joe is A Real American Hero.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      He’s wearing alien red tights?

      1. Dean

        Of course not. No layers, remember?

    2. newllend

      He’s a real american
      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zrZt45PEbSk

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        Video is blocked in my country.

        1. Kan

          Same here, guess we’re not real americans 😀

        2. nothri

          That’s kind of hilarious, actually.

    3. Architex

      I’ve missed Joe

      1. The_Bionic_Doctor

        ah, appropriate grav!

    4. StClair

      GO JOE!

  22. ChocolateRat

    Why’d she even get into teaching? Not like it pays that well so if you don’t care about it at all what’s even the reason? To live out some kind of sexual fantasy where she sleeps with students?

    1. Yotomoe

      The reason people work in fast food. It pays the bills and you can bang people where you work. That’s right people. That’s what they’re doing back there.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        And that is why I hate McDonald’s “secret” sauce.

        1. newllend

          Oh thanks You’ve Ruined McDonald’s for me !

        2. Allen Tor

          The food is what ruined McDonald’s for me.

        3. Opus the Poet

          Low wages and wage theft is what Ruined McDonald’s for me, combined with being tone deaf on what that does to a budget.

        4. Plasma Mongoose

          Fast Food Franchises I go to from most to least:

          1/ Subway
          2/ KFC
          3/ Brumby’s Bakery
          4/ Pizza Hut
          5/ McDonald’s(It can be more than a year between visits)

        5. Deanatay

          McD’s is FAR lower on my list.

        6. Plasma Mongoose

          There isn’t quite as many big name fast-food franchises that I even go to, for instance I had enough bad experiences with Red Rooster’s food not to ever want to go there again, Domino’s pizzas are so meh that don’t order from there.

          McDonald’s while far from my favourite restaurant, is still worthwhile going to when I go on the occasional country trips because of the breakfast menu(Sausage McMuffin, Hash Brown & Orange Juice), I used to like the McNuggets but they don’t taste as nice anymore.

        7. Screwball

          I like McDonalds, the grease & sugar charges me up nicely, but Daniel the Human calls it McShyte. Mind you, tiny burger is tiny, yet called Big Mac. Hungry Jack’s (Burger King in USA) is OK, but Grill’d is real good. Healthier, not as wide as a HJ’s burger but tall & tastes pretty good too.

        8. Plasma Mongoose

          Ah so you’re a Victorian huh, I myself have been a South Aussie for many years now, I even stopped calling potato fritters potato scallops even if it took me about 20 years to change.

        9. Screwball

          Naa, Grill’d has made it all the way to the West. Got a couple Grill’d around, seem to go to the West Perth 1 every week or 2…

      2. ChocolateRat

        Speaking from experience?

        1. Yotomoe

          Haha, it’s cute that anons think I’ve even been in the vicinity of people banging.

        2. Kryss LaBryn

          Well, teeeechnically your chromosomes were, at least, at one point.

        3. No Name

          Ooh! a cat video!

      3. newllend

        In the meat locker, all day every day getting it on…Yotomoe you know a lot about this, have you at any worked in the fast food industry ?

      4. Barf Ninjason

        I knew this girl who worked at a Jamba Juice and apparently habitually lesbianized with coworkers in the freezer. Always did kinda want to know more details, but a) I ain’t THAT guy, b) the physiological reactions vis-a-vis certain environmental factors are not terribly hard to imagine.

    2. Prof Fool

      She’s a grad student. TAing is one way that they pay their freight.

    3. John

      She probably doesn’t want to be, but is required to do it as part of her graduate studies.

      1. tyersome

        Ding ding ding ding!

      2. ChocolateRat

        I didn’t know about that, I’m not too familiar with the US education system. Makes sense though.

    4. Leorale

      Maybe she really likes learning math, and this was the way to stay in math classes as long as possible.

    5. The_Bionic_Doctor

      If she’s a grad student like Jason, she did not get into teaching, she got into research: university teaching is just a side-effect of research, something researchers are supposed to perform on the side, but are not really rewarded for. In many doctoral programs being a TA is heavily encouraged: it gives the schools cheap labor and helps the students gain a little extra money and complete their resume for the future job hunt. But sadly Penny is right: nothing apart from personal ethics incentivizes good teaching when you’re a researcher/grad student(=future researcher)… I should know, I’m a researcher and I like to teach – does not bring much recognition, it’s see as most researchers as a waste of time

      1. The_Bionic_Doctor

        damn it: “it’s seen by most researchers as a waste of time”

        1. Bagge

          Fortunately, despite Penny’s attitude, that is changing. If you want a faculty position it’s a good idea to have some TA experience, and more and more often you need pedagogical education as well.

    6. Yet Another Laura H.

      Probably because she like math, and teaching is what you do as you become a mathematician.

      1. Yet Another Laura H.

        Whoops, somehow thought the end of the “fast food sex” thread was the end of the discussion about Penny as a teacher. The “special sauce” distracted me— sorry!

  23. Mkvenner

    I am honestly not surprised.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Well it is Joe after all…

      1. newllend

        That’s outs our Joe, dudududu du de duuuu~

  24. Dr. Smart

    so we can mark Penny off the list of potential “hoodie fetishists” for Walky to pursue…
    wait… did I just invent a ship?

    1. Andrusi

      Technically, I think you just invented an anti-ship, but there was probably an equivalent ship produced at the same time.

      1. Deanatay

        Spontaneous ship/anti-ship particles can appear spontaneously in areas exposed to high-intensity fanboi energy fields. It’s Hawking radiation for commenters.

  25. John

    It isn’t naïveté Penny’s about to get crammed with.

    I’m imagining Joe and Penny just going right to it right there on the desk, with Jason still standing there awkwardly. And inviting him to join in when he gets too uncomfortable and starts to leave.

    1. Screwball

      I can see that happening too, although in most of my research on Humans the 3rd person usually joins in…

      Mind you, Mr Willis has had personal time begin with an audience before, so it is a possibility…

  26. Cheryl

    omg YUSSSS

  27. JessWitt

    Oh god, Joe and Penny? I should have guessed…

    1. Leorale

      Joe and everyone who gives their enthusiastic consent.

      1. The_Bionic_Doctor

        I’m confused: is a penny more than a nickel?

        1. Bagge

          *Slowclap*

    2. Barf Ninjason

      There has to be some clever wordplay on “in for a penny, in for a pound” that I’m not thinking of.

      1. Rosicrucian

        I think it sounds like a euphemism right on its own.

      2. tyersome

        It’s all fun and games until the Penni droops?

      3. Allen Tor

        Joe’s in a Penny, giving a pound?

      4. Kryss LaBryn

        Into a Penny, in for a pounding?

        1. tyersome

          That strikes me as as the best answer – I cents that I have been seriously out punned …

        2. Mickeymau5

          Don’t worry, you can change.

        3. tyersome

          No, ’tis probably too late for me … no quarter is given in this comments section (only nickels).

      5. Bagge

        A pound of flesh, eh? eh? eh?

        Offscreen: That’s not what it means, dolt.

      6. Deanatay

        I would have gone for ‘Penny’s in for a pounding’, but whatever works for you.

  28. Katie

    More like twelve-thirsty

  29. Charles Phipps

    I believe the rules at colleges are professors can have relationships with students because while they try and regulate it, it turns out a lot of students get really annoyed at attempts to treat them like children.

    1. The_Bionic_Doctor

      On the contrary, IMHO the power dynamic is especially present for students that are used to being treated as kids (as they are in high school, unfortunately), because however strongly they resent it and want to escape it, authority is still their frame of reference: if a teenager wants to screw an authority figure (pun intended) and an adult who has power over them takes advantage of that, it’s an abuse. The thing here is that Jason thought he could ignore the unbalanced power dynamic and didn’t realise he was such an authority figure to Sal, so he did not willfully abuse his power – but he abused it nonetheless: the reason for which Sal originally had sex with him in addition to other remarks she made (calling him “the man”) show how wrong he was.

      1. Gamaran Sepudomyn

        Actually, from what Sal said, it’s pretty clear that she simply thought he was attractive and that she needed to unwind a bit. He just happened to be in the immediate vicinity when she came to that conclusion.

    2. PoweredBySucrose

      Policies will vary by institution, but if there is any sort of teacher-student, supervisory, or advisory relationship between the two, it’s forbidden. And that applies to teaching assistants as well. Also, faculty should recuse themselves from any situation where they would be in a position of authority over a former partner.

      It’s generally acceptable for an interested teacher-student pair to wait until the next semester before hooking up socially, so long as the student will not take any future classes under the teacher.

      Violating these rules is one of the few things that can get even a tenured professor thrown out of their job.

      What Sal and Jason did was clearly improper, and would get Jason fired immediately.

      Again, specifics vary by institution. Check your employee or student handbook; if you have questions, faculty members, consult your provost, dean, or HR; students, consult your student honor council or counseling services.

  30. ninja_jesus

    As far as I’m aware, a teacher’s aide ain’t never been a “teacher” so everything here’s fair game. She and Jason are still students. Unless I’m wrong, of course.

    1. Regalli

      There’s still an implied position of power in that they are responsible for grading. Sal clearly slept with Jason because she thought it would up her grade, and taking advantage of that perception in any way whatsoever would be pretty gross. And while they are students, they’re GRAD students. That’s at least a good four to six years on Joe and Sal. They can legally buy alcohol and go into bars, which most undergrads can’t. This is both a “relative maturity at this stage is very different” indicator and a “HOLY SHIT IS THERE ROOM FOR THIS TO GO VERY VERY WRONG” indicator.

    2. s

      being a grad student puts you in a weird intermediate position. it’s wrong for a grad student TA to sleep with their students for exactly the reasons Regalli said. and on the other hand it’s wrong for proper faculty to sleep with their grad students for exactly the same reasons. you kind of play two roles at once.

      (incidentally, administration often confounds these two roles to thwart efforts at ta unionization, but that’s not really relevant here.)

      1. AgentKeen

        The joke in my lab is that, as a grad student, I’m not a person. The PIs were trying to get one of the techs a promotion, but 3 people were required to be under her; we had 2 other techs and myself at the time, but they said I didn’t count. Therefore, not a person.

        Of course, one of the other techs takes it a step further and says I’m equipment… -,-

    3. The_Bionic_Doctor

      Yeah, I’m with Regalli and s here: no matter how old you are, the “position of power/authority” thing is really important. I was less than 25 when I taught my first undergrad class (they were 18 year-olds, which means fresh out of high school in my country), I looked very VERY young… and still the authority factor was overwhelming, and the power dynamic was already palpable. I once found a student crying because another TA wrote an ironic remark on one of his copies: that made him feel stupid the way no classmate could have.

    4. Gangler

      I mean, whatever you wanna call them they’ve been placed in a position of authority over their students. That they also happen to be enrolled in some courses of their own doesn’t really undo that.

  31. Regalli

    … So, uh, Jason suddenly shot up .5% on my teacher ranking scale in this strip just by comparison. (Horribly unethical? Yes. But cares, wants to be better, and horribly unethical in a situation where I suspect he LEGITIMATELY DOESN’T ACTUALLY KNOW it’s unethical, which does count for a little.)

    1. Liz

      Agreed. Maybe someone — Leslie, maybe? — can have a talk with him about Ethics in Education. Or Mike can punch him in the face for perpetuating a broken system, which would serve the same purpose.

      1. Regalli

        I think Leslie would be more effective in terms of “here is why you deserve the punch, specifically, and how you can actually try and salvage this situation”.

        So like, start with the punch and end with the Leslie/heretofore unknown Actually Good Professor? (Because come on, on a campus this big there’s gotta be more than one unambiguously awesome teacher who actually cares about the subject material and their students learning it. Though I suppose we probably won’t see any in freshman year.)

    2. John

      I’m pretty sure that Jason is well aware that banging one of his students is horribly unethical. Though he’s not really okay with having done it anyway.

      While Joe is a student, we don’t actually know that he’s one of Penny’s, so this may actually not be the kind of ethical violation that Jason doing Sal is.

      1. Liz

        Ohh. I forgot about that.

      2. Gangler

        Though Joe is studying to be some kind of engineer, right? So he probably is in a math class or two. Still, possibly none of hers if we wanna give her the benefit of the doubt, but that seems like the most likely channel for them to have met through.

        1. Kk

          Not sure he’s an engineer in this verse. I don’t think he went into engineering in the original verse until at least sophomore year.

        2. Solenoid

          We don’t know what Jason’s career goal here is. You may be remembering the other continuity.

        3. John

          Penny’s a hottie, and Joe is Joe. Just passing her in the hall is all the opening he needs.

          I’m assuming until proven otherwise that he is one of her students, but we don’t actually know that.

        4. John

          Hmm. Y’know, I could actually see Joe going to the trouble of transferring to a different section just so it wouldn’t be unethical for him to bang Penny. The boy’s a slut, but he’s an ethical slut.

      3. Regalli

        Ah, forgot that.

  32. Liz

    As a fan of obsolete codes of honor, I now want Jason to become the best math teacher in the history of the universe. Yes? Maybe?

    1. newllend

      Well maybe if he stops thinking with his dick and more with his brain.

      1. Liz

        Agreed. Step 1 of being Best Math Teacher: no more deriding or sleeping with students, ever.

        1. HeySo

          Secretly, Jason is a big fan of Great Teacher Onizuka.
          Unfortunately, he failed utterly at being a pervert who wants sex, and went straight into actually having it.

          Jason is good at making plans, but sometimes doesn’t quite succeed at implementing them as intended..

        2. DarkoNeko

          Woah there, he’d have to get a cool furyou motorcycle first

    2. Bagge

      I think he is the best math teacher in this strip.

      I actually think he is the second best teacher we have seen so far.

      And I have spent half of the strips he has appeared in wining about what a terrible teacher he is.

      1. Kris

        Prof. Rees apparently sets the bar pretty low.

        1. No Name

          Not to mention the huge gap between him and Leslie.

  33. Em

    Question: Is Joe actually IN her class, or did they run into each other on campus and decided they wanted to bang?

    Also HOLY SHIT why are you asking your ex-something-or-other to hand you stuff you’re about to use while fucking some dude?

    1. newllend

      What does she even teach ?

    2. Yotomoe

      That’s what I’d do if I was hanging out with my ex who’s bongoing about getting laid sometimes by a hot mulatto skater chick.

    3. Bagge

      In order to hurt them emotionally and rub it in their face that they have no power over you, which is a really shitty thing to do.

    4. Kris

      From their few interactions I think anything Jason and Penny may have had has long since died. Also it’s funny. Plus Jason was banging Sal. Friggin SAL! What the fuck does he care?

  34. Totz the Plaid

    I know you said “stubbly” in regards to Joe’s permanent status, but I’m choosing to read it as “stubby,” as in, “Joe has a permanently short, stubby dick.”

    …because I don’t like Dumbiverse Joe. He’s just an ass.

    1. Yotomoe

      It’s not the size of the ship, it’s the motion of the ocean.

    2. Bagge

      Sometimes lil’Joe looks small because it’s in the chick.

      What? It was in the news and everything.

  35. Cholma

    “Ms Worthington, you’re trying to seduce me!”
    “Damn straight, Mr Rosenthal, now get that hoodie OFF!”

  36. JessWitt

    And Jason makes three in this crowd. Alas, Penny and Joe have a different tutorial plan in mind.

  37. Ashley

    Perpetually stubbly is good. *fans self*

    1. Screwball

      Not if you gotta shave it every day, or live with someone who’s gotta shave theirs everyday. I swear, Daniel the Human shaves, an hour later it’s already “weapons grade” sandpaper! Even I’m scared of it…!!

    2. TFC

      As long as it doesn’t feel like kissing a cactus…

  38. Yotomoe

    “Now you get your student here and MAYBE we can talk out a 4-way.”

    1. newllend

      I knew Penny wanted a piece of that ass too

    2. Nono

      I can’t imagine Joe/Sal. The pieces just don’t seem to fit.

      Actually, the two haven’t interacted yet in the Dumbiverse, have they? I can imagine Sal being his Mt. Everest.

      1. John

        They haven’t ever even been in the same strip.

  39. Kk

    Perma-stubble suits Joe quite well.
    As long as it just stays stubble, him with a beard is… well, his dad. And that’s not a good thing.

  40. Emoroffle

    Joe is quickly headed towards testosterone poisoning.

  41. Aolbain

    How the hell do you do math reaserch? (No, don’t answer, I want to keep living in the illusion that math is a usless subject I never will have any use for.)

    1. s

      a lot of time spent working on problems by yourself and talking with other math people about the problems you’re working on. it’s different from the hard sciences in that there’s no experiments, and hence no lab work (although depending on the subfield, you might do a lot of programming). often very abstract stuff that’s pretty far removed from anything non-mathematicians encounter, especially in standard math education. (i have a lot of opinions about the way math is taught [spoiler, BADLY], but i’m not going to go into that here).

      1. s

        a lot of time spent working on problems by yourself and talking with other math people about the problems you’re working on. it’s different from the hard sciences in that there’s no experiments, and hence no lab work (although depending on the subfield, you might do a lot of programming). often very abstract stuff that’s pretty far removed from anything non-mathematicians encounter, especially in standard math education. (i have a lot of opinions about the way math is taught [spoiler, BADLY], but i’m not going to go into that here).

        1. s

          oops, this was meant as a reply to Aolbain’s question above about what math research entails.

    2. Tenn

      You can have it answered and keep living in the illusion that math is a useless subject, because knowing how the research is done doesn’t necessarily give any clues about what the results are used for.

    3. Yet Another Laura H.

      I’m told a caffeine/ “smart drug” stack called Jet Rush is helpful.

  42. takashid

    Joe’s not her student as far as we know, so no problem here

  43. metaceryn

    Oh wow, that’s a whole lot of grad school flashback happening right now.

    Not any happy-kinky-sexy-time, though-not when all undergrads look like middle schoolers.

  44. FortyTwo

    Oh, Penny. When Professor Rees dies, you can only HOPE that the university keeps the position for someone else to fill, or that it doesn’t get combined with another deceased professor’s position for double the (often incompatible) responsibilities for pay “commensurate with experience.”

    HA HA HA, I forgot, this is a STEM field. Never mind, Penny, the trustees love you guys. Your jobs are safe.

    1. s

      it’s better in STEM, but we are not immune to the adjunctification of higher ed either. my department (math grad student here) has hella adjuncts, and the prospects of getting a quality tenure track job are pretty grim by the numbers, even at well-regarded programs. you need a lot of talent, plus a lot of luck, to make it these days.

      that said, there are probably more (and better paid) non-academic positions for STEM phds, so we’ve got less to complain about. plus, we pretty universally get ok funding so even if i’m wasting my time, i’m not going into debt doing it!

      1. tyersome

        As far as I can tell the B-school scumbags who seem to have taken over most universities love STEM researchers the way ticks love rabbits …

        1. s

          yeah, i don’t deny that those types definitely favor STEM pretty egregiously. (no one’s calling to get rid of math departments anywhere, as far as i can tell.) especially since technical fields tend to bring in grant money from places like the nsf which the humanities often can’t match, due to sketchy overall societal priorities.

    2. Paul

      The profession is overcrowded
      And the struggle’s pretty tough.

  45. DarkoNeko

    …oooh boy

  46. CarlaGriffin

    I love Penny.

  47. TheZachariah

    Today’s strip seems really sad to me for some reason.

  48. Nono

    Got some reason, I feel like Penny should say colour with a ‘u’.

    Like even her word bubbles should be British.

  49. Black Bumblebee

    Speaking as a college professor (one who sometimes assigns DOA to my students), let me tell you… I do care about my students. A lot of teachers care about their students. We’re not all jaded (yet). Severely underpaid and poverty stricken? Sure. Nearly half of college teachers are made up of part-time teachers now. But may of us do the job because we do want to make a difference.

    1. Bagge

      Hear, hear!!!

    2. Liz

      (applause)

  50. Idon'tcarenomore

    Penny’s not a hypocrite, she’s just got the sensitivity of a rock. Jeeze, Jason is her ex, think she could leave her pants on till he gets out the door.

    Jason on the other hand is a freakin’ wimp to not let her know that. But then we know he is so….
    Also, Jason, excellent teachers don’t sleep with their students, whatever the reason.

    Yeah the whole strip is sad.

  51. Ridureyu

    So, is every faculty member screwing students here?

    1. Tofusmith

      They’re grad students—technically, none of them are faculty.

      1. Gangler

        It sounds like they’re both students and faculty. They’re enrolled in the school, use its services, but also they work for the school, are on the payroll.

  52. Bagge

    So, given how much I whine about the problems with Jason having sex with a student, will I give Penny the same amount of shit or am I a hypocrite?

    Joe and Penny both know exactly what they want and are comfortable with it. We don’t know if Joe is Penny’s student or not. If he’s not her student then I’m fine with it. If he is her student and they have been very clear that this has nothing to do with his grades, and Penny has arranged for someone else to grade him, then I’m OK-ish with it. If Joe expect this to show up in his grades – or worse, if Penny actually will grade him after this – then I have a problem with it.

    They shouldn’t Boff during office hours. They really shouldn’t Knobb in the TA’s office during office hours. It sends a really bad message to other students (and opens up for all sort of misunderstandings).

    So I suppose I’m OK-ish with the Doodlin’, given clear enough communication (which Joe seem to be pretty good at). It doesn’t give Penny and points in my book, but then again, she doesn’t seem to think too highly about her teaching skill either.

    1. Axel

      After Penny’s whole who-cares-about-ethics speech, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she’s giving Joe good grades. I’m about 50-50 on whether Joe would accept it, though.

      Then again, it could be that Penny doesn’t care about her students, but does care about ethical violations that could jeopardize her career. But office-hours doodling runs into that area already.

    2. tyersome

      I’m sure Joe expects some curve bending to occur … but given his personality, I’m pretty sure he thinks he’s the one doing the grading …

  53. Drake

    I see Penny continues her line of being a complete asshole.

    1. WeezerLuvr3030

      Honestly, I can’t see what is assholeish about her in this strip. Is it that she understands that TAships are labour and not training? That is how college models have styled them. If you treat them like training during grad school, then you seriously lose touch with the goals you must actually achieve. Is it that she has no sympathy for a colleague who sleeps with students and then gets self-righteous? Is it Joe? Is it her callousness about a lazy professor?

      1. ahuh

        Eh, they can be training depending on what kind of job you’re looking for. Aren’t a lot of schools putting more emphasis on pedagogy in the hiring process these days? Especially more teaching-oriented schools.

      2. wrewrew

        TAship is labour and not training. Being a *good* TA is called “altruism”, and not being altruistic is called being an asshole.

        Also, she’s sleeping with her students, maybe?(Although we don’t know if Joe is in her class do we)

  54. Sigurther

    I love this Penny *so* much more.

  55. Andrusi

    So basically, Jason is Worf.

  56. Felgraf

    One of the reasons I’ll likely never go into teaching (at least until after I retire), sadly. Despite being in a field apparently in need of teachers (physics) and being told by students that I’m generally better than their professors-

    Can’t get tenure being a good teacher. Can’t really easily make a *living* being a good teacher. And teaching at, say, the high school level? With the way teacher pay is being gutted? I would like to raise a family at some point, so that’s a no go, too.

    Ah well. At least I can eventually *retire* and teach high school physics or some such.

  57. sociotard

    Joe has perpetual stubble? Must have a ‘no cunnilingus’ policy. Kind of surprising given his interests.

    1. Gangler

      I feel like Joe’s pretty vanilla in the sack. Has tried a respectable number of positions for somebody his age, but it’s all penetrative vaginal intercourse with just enough foreplay in the mix to keep his partners happy. Hasn’t really fully opened his mind to all the sexual tools at his disposal beyond his dick.

      Could be wrong. Maybe we’ll see a slipshine one day that proves otherwise.

      1. Screwball

        I’ve tried to associate with people like Joe, learn their ways, have my own “conquests”, but never get any luck. Even though I’m atanoikal, atamoi, atenom, fully equipped, I don’t get anywhere…

        Daniel the Human’s no help either, he’s a “relationship guy”, yet knows how to make a lady happy, hands-only. I’ve tried asking Daniel the Human for tips, including what that “G-Spot” thing is, but all he does is laugh & tell me “You’re not yet ready for THAT power…”

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          Umm what is atanoikal, atamoi, atenom?

          I tried google but no help there.

        2. No Name

          I think Screwball’s groping for “anatomically correct”. It is a bit of tongue twister, especially for an alien life form in a robotic human suit. Even I, an actual human, have to sound it out to make sure I got the right word.

        3. Plasma Mongoose

          I pronounce it like anna-tom-nick-cal-lee.

        4. xKiv

          I trust Voltaire.

        5. Screwball

          I can never get that word right TT_TT

          Why do I keep trying… TT_TT

          …I know why, cause it sounds so damn fancy. I like it, it makes me sound fancy…

        6. Plasma Mongoose

          I can pronounce the word phenomenon well enough but the word scissors can sometimes cause me to stutter.

    2. Em

      I feel like he’s a guy that shaves when necessary. Maybe Penny doesn’t want it! Yeah yeah I know what you’re saying. But I have a very close friend that has a lot of anxieties around that sort of thing, and doesn’t want anyone to go down on her. *shrugs* Maybe Penny is that way as well. Some women have a very sensitive clitoris, and can’t stand having it done to them because it over stimulates them. It is VERY possible that Penny does not want to partake, thus, Joe has not shaved for his 12:30 appointment.

  58. Bilal Kalyal

    “Handcuffs? Sounds promising”

    OH JOE!
    -Sitcom laughtrack-

  59. The Wizard

    This has scarr’d my dreams I had of already not being a teacher, I demand reparations!

  60. Crumplepunch

    Boffing intensifies.

  61. Em

    DAMN Jason and Penny sure know how to score the sexiest people on campus!

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      It’s those damned sexy British accents. 😀

  62. CanadianShinobi

    Until this strip, I had for some reason, forgot that Jason had a name. I just referred to him as The T.A.

    1. Kk

      That’s pretty common. I can’t for the life of me remember the name of my sociology professor’s T.A last semester.

  63. George

    I am severely impressed with this call.

    http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/01-if-the-shoes-split/crackin/#comment-97338

    1. Screwball

      Wow, that was a good call… !

  64. Amanowe

    Go Joe go! XD

  65. Davethedavedave

    The way Penny pulls Joe from out of frame, does he count as an oversized novelty prop gag here?

    1. tyersome

      … so many places we could go with this, so little time …

      My top two:
      • Do we have any evidence that he’s oversized (ignoring his ego, assuming that’s possible)?
      • Is there any evidence that he is going to be in a position to make Penny gag?

      1. Em

        Well yeah, when she chokes on that d–

        *coughs*

        Pardon me.

  66. chris73

    Joe should always have a permantly raised eyebrow

  67. A Scientist

    I’ve been really critical of Jason as a teacher, but at least he cares and wants to be good at it. That’s good, and I hope he finds someone who can help him improve.

  68. BrokenEye, True False Prophet

    Knowing Joe, I wouldn’t be surprised if she chains him to the bed and then leaves for the day.

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