Q ac I<AM AS P r ÌNT^ C9"
Wednesday, March 1, 2000
Clackamas Community College
Oregon City, Oregon
Volume XXXIII, Issue
16
PHOTOS BY KARL KATZKE
College President John Keyser
emphasizes his support of
student rights by suggesting
that the complaint process be
examined at a college-wide
level.
Social Science Instructor Jackie
Flowers answers a question
about the modifications being
proposed to the student
complaint process.
Counselors David Blessman (left) and Ellen Wolfson listen as Faculty President Hugo Grimaldi (right)
makes a point about academic freedom. The President's Council session became heated at times as
administrators and faculty made impassioned points about student and faculty rights.
Complaint process ignites campus debate
A faculty group proposes a change in the student Incident. Resolution Form
KARLKATZKE
Business Manger
A group of College faculty has
proposed a controversial change to
the “Incident Resolution Form,”
which governs how complaints
against faculty and staff of the col
lege are handled.
According to Jackie Flowers,
social sciences instructor, and
Terry Mackey, two of the faculty
members who are leading the group
that has drafted a revised process,
the revision was prompted by the
complaint filed by Joshua
Alexander against Dr. Don Epstein.
“My concern is that we don’t
have another incident like we had
with Don Epstein, where the stu
dent complaint could have esca
lated to a level that wasn’t appro
priate for that particular complaint,
since that complaint didn’t deal with
free expression in the classroom,”
said Flowers.
Another involved faculty mem
ber contended that the college
could have future problems if this
process is not modified.
“We’re at an age,” noted
Mackey, “where formal litigation is
the process, and I think some de
partments are going to need to pro
tect themselves.”
Proposed revisions
The proposed revision to the
form, which could be retitled as the
“Student Rights Violation and
Resolution Form,” adds a paragraph
that reads: “Problems outside the
purview of'student rights' should
be discussed with your instructor.
Examples of such problems include,
but are not limited to: use of offen
sive language; ideological and/or
religious conflicts; controversial
topics.”
Keyser, college president.
Flowers disagreed.
“It seems that when we talk
about student rights and academic
freedom, that oftentimes, we as
sume that there’s going to be a
Dissent exists in faculty
clash between the two... but I don’t
Several faculty members who think that’s true,” said Flowers.
were not involved with writing the
Flowers advocates separating
draft were present at a meeting the present “Incident Resolution
Monday evening, and many of Form” into two processes: First, the
them disagreed with the point of revised “Student Rights Violation
view of the revision.
and Resolution” form, which out
lines the student
“The decision
rights listed on
making process
pages 78-79 of the
in the college for
Student Hand
broad
issues
along when
book; and sec
such as student
this
come
ond, an as-yet-
complaints that
undeveloped
involve all of us
is
hadn ’t
process for a
... is a college is
complaint against
sue
that
is
the course mate
brought up at
involvement.
rial or content of
President’s
Norm Berney
a class. She
Council,” said
ASG Advisor
claims to simply
Jan Godfrey, as
be interested in
sociate dean.
clarifying the form
Godfrey made
the point that only faculty members and its intent, rather than actually
and members of The Print staff changing the rights of students.
“We were just going to clarify
were attending a meeting that had
implications for the entire campus. what, was already there... we
weren’t intending to expand or con
tract anything,” said Flowers.
Council meeting heated
At Tuesday morning’s heated
Few people involved
President’s Council meeting, the revi
College staff and faculty who dis
sion was discussed with the college ad
ministration, and the reaction from other agree with the proposal cite the fact
members of the college community was that a very small number of faculty
overwhelmingly against restricting stu
members were involved in devel
oping the revision.
dent rights.
“I almost get the impression that
“What I’ve seen so far is that it’s
we need to take student rights away not inclusive, people have moved
to protect faculty rights,” said John
too quickly, and have forgotten to
My concern all
I saw
issue
up
that there
been any student
use the expertise that we’ve got on
campus from the last time we did
this nine years ago,” said Ellen
Wolfson of the counseling depart
ment. “I don’t support the draft
that’s being passed around at all.”
Norm Berney, associated student
government advisor, shared these
opinions.
“My concern, and my concern
all along when I saw this issue
come up, is that there hadn’t been
any student involvement,” said
Berney.
College to take a closer look
At the President’s Council meet
ing, a decision was made for Dian
Connett, dean of instructional ser
vices, to form a committee or task
"force that would include represen
tatives from all of the necessary de
partments on campus.
“I’m going to meet with all of the
association presidents," said
Connett. "What’s really important,
is to see if we can lay out what is
the current process and not only
how does it operate, but what do
we think its intent is. I don’t think
that was clear today... it seemed like
we were jumping to solutions or
suggestions or implications of
things. Let’s look at what we were
trying to accomplish, and let’s all
look at how it should work.”
Keyser supports the decision to
take a closer look at this issue.
“I think it’s agood place to initiate
the discussion... In terms of the final
recommendation, I think that we need
multiple points ofview... I think we’re
going to have some good discus
sion,” said Keyser.
Student Rights
• The Incident Resolution
Form is used when a
student has a complaint or
problem with a member of
the college staff. The
member of the college staff
can be either a faculty
member (a teacher), or a
member of the support
staff.
• Currently, the form
reads: “Use this form if you
have a problem with a
member of the college staff
that you would like help
solving, specifically if you
feel that your rights, as
outlined in the Student
Handbook, have been
violated. The college will try
to resolve the problem
informally, but you may
initiate a formal complaint if
you are not satisfied with
the outcome.”
Your student rights are listed
in the student handbook.
What's the
controversy
• The following changes
have been proposed to the
Incident Resolution Form:
“Problems outside the
purview of 'student rights1
should be discussed with
your instructor. Examples of
such problems include, but
are not limited to: use of
offensive language;
ideological and/or religious
conflicts; controversial
topics.”