Before we begin this baffling saga, let's get one thing very clear: Australia is both a continent and a country.
OK, now we can start.
Ashley Arnold is a 27-year-old mom who lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She's completing her sociology degree online with Southern New Hampshire University.
Earlier this semester, Ashley had an assignment in which she had to compare a social norm in the United States to the norms in another country. Ashley chose to focus on social media use for her norm and she wanted to compare the US to Australia.
When she submitted the assignment, Ashley assumed she would do pretty well on it, so she was stunned when she got a failing grade.
That was just the beginning of her troubles, though. Apparently, Ashley's professor failed her because the professor believed Australia wasn't a country.
And no, the professor wasn't joking. Thus began Ashley's long fight to prove that Australia is indeed a country.
Photo: Facebook / Ashley Arnold
[H/T: BuzzFeed]
It all began on February 1, 2018, when Ashley got her assignment back from her professor.
That was the moment that Ashley realized her teacher — who has a PhD — didn't understand that Australia is both a country and a continent.
Instead of just accepting the bad grade, Ashley knew she had to ask her professor to take another look at her assignment.
She emailed her professor to explain her confusion over her grade, and clarified that Australia is actually a country.
Ashley provided the text of her email to BuzzFeed. The email read:
I believe I got zero or partial credit because the instructor said, ‘Australia is a continent; not a country.’ However, I believe that Australia is a country.
The research starter on the SNHU’s Shapiro library written by John Pearson (2013) states, that Australia is the ‘sixth-largest country in the world’ (n.p.). The full name of the country is the Commonwealth of Australia, meaning Australia is both a continent and a country. Therefore, these sections of the rubric should be amended.
Despite the fact that Ashley provided ample evidence, her professor still did not believe that Australia was a country.
Ashley was discouraged, but she knew she was correct, so she responded to her professor once again.
This time, Ashley went straight to the Australian government's website, and sent the link to her professor. She wrote:
Australia is both a country and a continent. It’s the only country that is both. I provided a resource in the first email that clarifies that for you. If you need further clarification google or the SNHU Shapiro Library has that information you.
Again I mean no disrespect but my grade is affected by your assumption that Australia is not a country when it in fact is.
Thank you and let me know if I need to provide further resources proving Australia is a country.
Finally, Ashley's professor seemed to take the hint.
If you take a look at Australia's official website, it says right there that it is both a continent and a country.
Eventually, the professor came to see her error, and she awarded Ashley an appropriate grade for her work.
Ashley also got in contact with the school, who helped her find a resolution to the problem.
A week after Ashley originally tweeted about the issue, the university issued their own tweet, updating people on the now-viral story.
Ashley is happy about the way everything turned out in the end, and it taught her a good lesson in standing up for herself.
Ashley's story is a reminder to all of us that it's worth fighting for yourself — especially if your grades and career are on the line!
What would you have done if you were in Ashley's position?
Please SHARE this article to remind everyone that Australia is both a country and a continent!
