Expulsion??? but no due process...

For the second time Bighamton's Social Work Department has brought allegations against students who share different viewpoints than the department faculty. One would think, is this a violation of the individual's First Amendment rights of freedom of speech? Let's take a closer look at the allegations. A student from Canada enrolled in their MSW program was expelled without knowing why, much less having a chance to properly defend himself against the nebulous allegations. In one classroom incident the student mentioned above to his professor that "he should be careful when he starts his car," after the professor had asked students what format did they want their midterm to be, but later after a consensus was reached the professor told them the actual exercise was their exam and he joked about the students "coming after him after class." In the second incident the student had told the class a past experience related to a class discussion regarding using a pick-axe to hit a chair for having his pay docked. This prompted fellow students to report to the professor that they felt uncomfortable and threatened.

The university took all of its complaints seriously and an investigation was launched. Additionally the student and professor was questioned and the professor had confirmed the second incident was apart of a class discussion therefore, the university policy closed the case and so did the Office of Student Conduct. However, the student was interrogated later by the Advancement Committee for the program and was recommended against his advancement (i.e., continuation in the program) that there "appears... to be a significant discrepancy, at times, between the purported intention of his verbal behavior and the ways in which his verbal communications are perceived by others." The student had to return home to Canada with no degree, a lot of debt, and many unanswered questions.

This story makes me think about things that I may say in my classes or at work. I feel the Advancement Committee took this situation to another level. Simply relating a past life experience and following along with a professor's joke, clearly should not impose of one's free speech rights. Due process is a law within the Fourteenth Amendment applicable to the states in which an individual has the right to a fair hearing and right to appeal a decision. In this case, the student was not able to appeal therefore, his due process and rights to free speech were both violated. As the second time a student has had an encounter with the Social Work department, it goes on to say that the department has some internal issues that needs to be addressed with the assistance of an outside entity. I have to ask the question, should students monitor their responses in classes to not make others feel threatened or uncomfortable? Should students not convey personal situations in class discussions? How does this affect student learning and applying conversation to practical experiences? I hope anything of this sort does not affect other college campuses. This situation was taken to the extreme and the student could have at least been referred to the university counseling center but he was not causing any harm to anyone but I see the department and students thought differently. As student affairs professionals how do we make our students feel safe in the classroom while acknowledging feedback from others? Participating in classroom discussions makes me wonder... should students not convey personal stories to their peers to protect themselves from expulsion or was this another situation where the department did not like the student?