Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for December 20, 2018

Oh, you’re SO going to get it, Tara

”Busted.” ✨

Okay Ladies and Gentlemen, place your bets.

Is the Professor wanting to talk to Tara because:

1) She Flunked the Test, and maybe the semester, and she’s about to be given an Academic Ultimatum?

2) Tara made a 100 on the Test, and is about receive high praise?

3) She managed to steal a copy of the test and got caught?

4) Tara got caught cheating using cheat notes or copying off of Jack’s test paper?

5) None of the above?

I’m thinking either #2 or #3. But I dunno. Tara’s smug(?) look in the last panel is either one of “I passed the test, as expected!” Or, “I flunked the test as expected, but I don’t care!”

The smile on Tara ‘s face is telling, and yet isn’t. From the looks on her face, she is pleased, but coming from over her shoulder…

Meanwhile, Luann has leaped from “I’m not gonna be a chemist” to “maybe I’m a chemistry genius.” And Bernice is encouraging her!

Tara does not look dismayed at the results of her test. I always used to test very well and very seldom showed any reaction. Tests always were very easy for me. Come to think of it, so was the homework and the classwork…

“Red flag”. Tara aced the test, but some of the answers have Vietnamese words.

Today Chemistry, tomorrow Physics!

(“Dragnet music”) !!!!!!!

man we haf ta wait till Friday to see if shell buy the professor an “apology pizza.”

maybe she scored a 100!

Tara just got busted!!!

A word? Would that word be “suspension”?

OK, why does it look like Tara is doing a really awkward smile? I can’t tell if she’s happy or serious or something else..?

Got to hand it to Greg; if he was going for “Tara and the Professors expressions and words can mean anything” – I think he nailed it.

Better be a G-rated word, Miss Starr.

In the first frame, it seems like Luann and Bernice are still in Kafe Kablooey. In the second frame, it would seem like Luann, Jack, Tara and the prof are in the Kafe (because they are in front of a counter that looks like it has a ketchup dispenser and other food related stuff on it.) This is kind of weird, because Kafe Kablooey is not on the campus of Pitts State College (Community College). Continuity? Maybe the word the prof wants to have with Tara is, “How did we get magically transported here?”

I think that was not a smile – remember, Tara has pillowy lips. I think this is her neutral face. She is just staring at the paper – could be a F or an A. But Tara being Tara, I think she flunked. Professors don’t approach students to congratulate them even if they get 100% – they write side notes on the tests – that was what I did when I taught post-secondary, and continue to do so with my high school students. Teachers DO approach students if they are suspected of wrongdoing. I knew one student who skipped almost all of my classes but yet aced my tests that she cheated but how do I prove it? So I did not approach her until I caught her peeking at her ankle…yeah, she wrote answers there. She wore calf-length boots when she came in and unzipped one to read answers on the inside of her leg down to the ankle. I said, “Okay, class, let’s see what Chantal has on her leg,” just to get witnesses because colleges are stickler for siding with the students because they mean revenue for them and they want to retain them so I knew I needed more than my word before going to the dept chair. Chantal was expelled when the chair learned she also did that in other classes. Tara reminds me of Chantal – a party girl who skips classes, borrows notes, does not study, hides answers somehow on test days. The amount of time writing all the answers and the planning could be better invested in studying instead.

Several years ago, when I was teaching at the collegiate level, I had two students who sat next to each other and talked occasionally during the final exam. They turned in their tests about a minute apart and left. The first 67 questions were true-false, multiple choice and matching. The remainder were short essay. Amazingly, their answers on questions 1-67 were identical, which meant either they were telepathic or had cheated. During the first class session of the semester, I had explained the college’s policy regarding academic fraud. I took their exams to the Dean of Instruction, who allowed me some latitude in deciding their penalty. With his consent, I sent them an email saying their semester grades had been docked by two full letters. I also told them they could appeal the ruling to the Dean, but noted he was well aware of the situation and had approved the consequences. They never did show up in his office.

1,3,or 4. Proff does not look impressed.

Hmmm great that Luann and Jack honestly studied, and Jack kept Luann on point to study, while Luann was worried about her friend. Tara? Well lets wait and see what happened as a result of her test result. I get burned more here trying to predict than I ever did betting on football, so I found it better just to wait and see what happens, and enjoy the game meanwhile. That works here for me too. Of course once it happens, I will explain why. (lol). I confess I overreacted on Bernice. Which gets to the overarching arc, what is Luann going to do with her life?

Hated school, flunked 2 semesters of college and joined the military. Years later realized company I worked for might fold and went to night school. Studied hard and got a GPA of 3.75. I had a reason, company wound up being bought and moved. I got a better job. I am not stupid, I just was never interested until it became important to me.

Tara Starr is a charmer, getting by on her good looks and personality, but may be catching up to her here. Jack’s character has evolved into an honest, diligent, and conscientious one. First impression of Jack was of all sports, no substance.

From my own experiences in the seats of higher learner:a) Finals are not returnedb) They do not praisec) They do not take you aside to tell you that you failed the class or semester; they send a letter of warning.d) Professors don’t even know your name.

Therefore, any conclusion is under false pretenses.HOWEVER, This is the Luanniverse.It has been shown that Tara is a vandal and crook.It has been shown that Tara is flakeyIt has been shown that Tara is unreliable.It has been shown that Tara is impulsive and a poor student.

What I expect the Prof to say is this: “Have you ever considered ‘hospitality’ for a career? It’s your only hope!”

WHY do my posts always get smushed together? On Lists, that’s ultra annoying.

I’m sure someone already said this: Tara got good grade, but same wrong answers as Lu or Jack, copying answers. I’m usually wrong on these predictions…

Technically Stealing a copy of the test is a form of cheating so I’m going to go with 4

OK> I’ll go contrarian:

He wants to talk to her about how she managed to ace the test without attending any of the lectures.

I’m foreseeing that Jack & Luann will be holding more mutual study sessions. wink

I miss her mom, Brenda.

On a side note. Test grades of 93 vs 92? A 1 point difference in scoring would be hard to come by.

Oh course Jack may have believed Luann; that burrito was a noble gas.

Forget Tara. I’m so glad Luann and Jack are studying together and getting high grades. They are good for each other. They look so happy.

My advisor always said there is an important difference between being smart and being creative. Smart people test well. Creative people change our world.

Luann – “I got a 93!!!”

Jack – “I got a 92!!!”

Tara – “I got a ROCK…….,”

And NOW that the test and Semester is OVER, with two excellent passing grades, its time for some Good, Clean, Celebratory “Fun,” between Jack and Luann. Now Luann can test the limits of that “Jack and I are just friends,” Guff, she’s been telling everybody.

Will our Hero and Heroine discover themselves under the mistletoe? Or will We cut Ann Eiffel passing out wedding invitations and a certain COFFEE drinker, popping the cork on a bottle of champagne?

if tara aced the test she would have responded as such joining jack and lu in celebration. Its the professors remarks that indicate a low score or zero

Just please do not make Tara one dimensional.

6

Both Luann and Jack received A- grades (at least in my grading scale). That is good. I am happy for them. For Luann this is especially important to help her see…. that even though chemistry is not her “passion” (at least by how she seemed in yesterday’s comic) that she is capable of succeeding in a wide array of academic pursuits even if they are not her ideal, planned for future. I think this message is critical for Luann… she should continue to pursue a diverse set of courses to help her “figure out” where she wants to proceed in terms of her major and her desired career.

As for Tara…. her facial expression is a bit of an enigma… it could read as happy, satisfied,indifferent, or frustrated to me. With the chemistry professor asking to have “a word” with her, there are many ways Greg may be leading us:

1. Greg may have the professor be angry and accuse Tara of cheating (presuming she does well and has been absent much of the semester).

2. Greg may have the professor be angry because Tara is being vapid by skipping class and earning “F’s” in his class… and he was to tell her she is just wasting her time.

3. Greg may have the professor be “shocked and awed” that Tara did so well, and he wants to talk to her about being some sort of assistant.

4. Greg may have the professor know some of Tara’s “hidden” back story and may want to talk to her about her struggles privately…. and we will get some new insight into her character.

* * * *Finally…. I guess I wanted to say I am very glad (and wanted to make sure folks noticed ) that Bernice has been shown to be a good friend to Luann during this arc. A lot of people were painting her to be horrible person and bad friend because she made a pun style joke in Tuesday’s panels. I think Bernice has demonstrated she has a level head most of the time and is a very good friend to Luann.

Tara has troubles. Glad to see Luann and Jack seem to have a knack for this class.

Perfect score, and it has never happened before, so there are questions as to how she knew the answers.

“Not only did you pass the test, but your comments will revolutionize organic chemistry and nuclear physics and hair styling.”

I’m so glad Luann and Jack got scores in the 90s. Maybe there won’t be any more remarks about how “dumb” they are.

cue the ominous music

Wow! I would’ve been totally happy with that college chemistry grade too! Was my worst subject, my grades were inversely proportional to the local snow level (Boyle’s Law = cutting class and going skiing).

Perhaps Tara had Chemistry 101 at her previous school(s) and so was familiar with it? If I remember my college days – colleges want you to take at least some low level “required” courses – even if you’ve already had/passed them at a different school. That could explain her lack of concern about the missed Chem classes and then taking the test.

Tara would not have cheated if she used my “Chemistry Games” and “Chemistry Study Guide” books! Gregory Howard Gebhart.

Tara must have cheated. Uh oh!

There are plenty of well paying careers that don’t require college.

I am so glad to see Luann do well and be rewarded for her efforts. She needed this boost to her self esteem. I’m also glad to see Tara get what she has coming.

For all we know, Tara took AP Chemistry in high school, so she already knows this material even without Jack’s notes or attending the lectures.

Wow great grades, life science was the only class I ever got a D in as I could not stand the smell of Formaldehyde and I refused to dissect the frog! Plus didn’t like the teacher much either!

I think this arc is more about Bernice getting a much needed come uppence for her crack about no replacement for solid studying. It is very possible that Tara took chem at Moony U before being thrown out. My guess is the teacher is going to grill her for not showing up for any classes and somehow getting an A on the test, though it could be that she cheated and asks Luann to back her up as well (in which case Luann can politely cover her rear by telling the prof all she knows – that Tara did borrow Jacks notes, and she can’t surmise further as to Tara’s skills. Though I doubt this will happen, Luann is a bit of a gossip & may tell Bernice her suspicions, who will, of course go to the authorities.).

One of two things…Either Tara flunked big time, or she was caught cheating. Okay, three things…maybe Tara is a whiz in chemistry and didn’t need to study at all.

I’m more inclined to believe she did poorly rather than cheated, necessitating she be tutored by Luann.

What a suspense for Tara! But on the other hand is so good see Bernice Cheering Luann.

I am puzzled by those who think Tara is smiling in the last panel. I see an expressionless face. she just has heavily painted lips and that’s her normal look w/o emotion. An example of Tara smiling would be on Dec 14

Must be a REALLY old script – nowadays one gets an “A” for showing up.

Amazing, given the rampant texting going on during lectures.

Why do I get the feeling it is going to be more that “a” word?

Probably going off course here, but doesn’t Bernice go to a different school?

Luann DeGroot, 93; Jack the Nice Guy/Nude Model/Jock, 92; Tara Starr (is she related to Brenda, the star reporter?), da da dun! Stay tuned for the Reveal!

Tara aced the exam, but did not turn in several assignments. She will flunk Chemistry and have to retake it next semester.

A word? Okay how about " hello "

Well, We have our answer. But now, even MORE Questions……,