Loren Mayshark entered Hunter College in 2008 with high hopes of gaining a master’s degree in two years. Six years, two master’s theses, and tens-of-thousands of dollars later, he abandoned his studies without attaining the degree. His forthcoming book is an account of his struggles, which is a microcosm of what is wrong with the US higher education system.
Thank you for your inquiry, which has been forwarded to me. Since we do not have data regarding abuse of student complaints against faculty members, I can only say anecdotally that such accounts do cross my desk on occasion. More often, we see administrators eager to use the student complaint process against a faculty member whom they perceive as troublesome.
Anita Levy, Ph.D. Senior Program Officer Department of Academic Freedom, Tenure, and Governance American Association of University Professors 1133 19th Street NW, 2nd Floor Washington, D.C. 20036
The threat is revealed in this copy of a letter below, a response to the Chair of the Department of Film and Media Studies, Jay Roman, who was a messenger for the threat.
April 7
Jay,
This is a response to your November 11 letter. It shouldn’t be confused with that request you repeated at the November 7 meeting for me to contact Hunter Attorney Sandra Nunez. In this April 7 message to you, I address the saber rattling about “disciplinary action.”
The following action would much better serve the truth because it would be nonpartisan, impartial and independent as well as free of the department’s rank nepotism and cronyism and any Administration imprudence, and it would be transparent. Hunter is accountable to certain city, state and federal agencies. An investigation by such an agency, besides the benefits described, could require statements given under oath.
[Note: Regarding Hunter Attorney Sandra Nunez who emailed me April 10, Monday; see below. I have no idea what she means.
RE: Response to November 11 Letter Sandra Mary Nunez Sent: Monday, April 10, 2017 3:40 PM To: Greggory w Morris No. I did not.
Sandra M. Nunez Office of Legal Affairs Associate Attorney/Deputy Labor Designee Telephone: 212 -772- 4098
From: Greggory w Morris Sent: Friday, April 7, 2017 11:28 PM To: James Roman Subject: Response to November 11 Letter
April 7 Jay,
This is a response to your November 11 letter. It shouldn’t be confused with that request you repeated at the November 7 meeting for me to contact Hunter Attorney Sandra Nunez. In this April 7 message to you, I address the saber rattling about “disciplinary action.” The following action would much better serve the truth because it would be nonpartisan, impartial and independent as well as free of the department’s rank nepotism and cronyism and any Administration imprudence, and it would be transparent. Hunter is accountable to certain city, state and federal agencies. An investigation by such an agency, besides the benefits described, could require statements given under oath.
I’m trying to get background information on situations like the one I’m describing here (as succinctly as possible):
Three students in a journalism ethics class of 21 decided that they didn’t like the class (two flunked an assignment and one didn’t do the assignment) and met with a deputy chair of my department who told them how to file a complaint against this instructor and the deputy chair said that the department has been trying to get rid of this instructor and that their complaint would help.
The three students took the information back to the instructor’s journalism ethics class, relayed what the deputy chair said and tried to recruit students to joint in the complaint. The deputy chair also told the students that one they should tape the instructor’s class. One did. A dean told the instructor that at least 13 students supported the complaint but it was subsequently learned that this wasn’t true, that there was a hardcore of about as many as six students.Eventually, three students filed the complaint and, later, another student joined the complaint. Usually complaints about grades are settled by the grade appeal process.
I’m trying to learn how widespread is this abuse of a policy as well as the manipulation of students to attack professors this way.
Thanks for any information,
Gregg Morris
Assistant Professor
Tenured
