Letters to the Editor
ASWOU adviser has over-stepped bounds
- Page 1 of 1
Dear Editor,
The role of an advisor is simple, one who advises students in academic and personal matters. An advisor's role is not to run the meeting, dictate policy, or agendas. Advisors are in place to support the chair of the committee. Dr. Dukes serves as one of the not-so-student-friendly advisors to the IFC. He has now effectively removed three students from the IFC, based upon his choosing and timeline. Two Freshman and one Senior student have been removed only to fulfill Dr. Duke's anti-student agenda.
May 1, 2006, the Incidental Fee committee endured its shortest meeting of the year: twelve minutes of heated debate over a student's academic standing. The IFC meeting opened with the IFC chair acknowledging a new appointee. Almost immediately, our advisor, Dr. Dukes stated that he did not agree with this appointee based on academic standing. Ultimately, the decision of keeping this student on the committee was left to the IFC chair, who ruled in favor of the students and was coincidentally shut down.
In December, after showing dissent against Dr. Dukes, a Freshman was told he had to leave the meeting after sitting down because of his grades. Dr. Dukes then embarrassed and harassed the student for the two weeks following that meeting because ASWOU policy and the ASWOU Judicial Administrator (our version of the Supreme Court) stated that the student could continue to serve with a warning term. Dr. Dukes refused to acknowledge the Judicial Administrator's ruling and adamantly pursued the removal of the student.
Dr. Duke's boss, interim-president Dr. Minihan, even ruled against Dr. Dukes stating that "the student could stay on the committee if he wanted to." Again, this was not enough for Dr. Dukes, because he then called the student and asked him to resign, which he did. During which time, Dr. Dukes informed the IFC Chair of the Freshman's GPA, the Judicial Administrator, and the ASWOU Office Coordinator which was later leaked around the committee and ASWOU €" a federal offense you ask?
This month, the other Freshman was removed after the advisors allowed him to sit on the committee once, stating that they did not know the student's GPA was invalid.
The Senior student was appointed by the current ASWOU president, Justin Tomlin, Monday night before the meeting because other students were unavailable. Dr. Dukes had already checked the student's GPA beforehand because he called Justin Tomlin five minutes before the meeting and checked the student's grades. When confronted by an IFC member, that he was not allowed to check student grades until asked by the Judicial Administrator, Dr. Dukes informed them that he did not have time to "deal with [them]."
The IFC guidelines state that a minimum of six members must stand on the committee in order to be a valid committee. The IFC Guidelines also say that all students must maintain above a 2.0 Grade Point Average to serve on the committee. The two Freshman did not have a cumulative or term GPA above the required 2.0, but the Senior had a cumulative 2.5 GPA, which clearly allowed him to serve. It is ASWOU policy that all student leaders receive one warning term to regain a 2.0 GPA before being removed, by the Judicial Administrator. Our current ASWOU Judicial Administrator, Andrew Fowler, and two past Judicial Administrators all disagree with Dr. Dukes' erroneous interpretation of the GPA requirements. Dr. Dukes' boss, interim-president, Dr. John Minihan, even agrees that a warning term should be provided if the student wants to serve on the committee. Unfortunately, Dr. Dukes does not.
Dr. Dukes has clearly over-stepped his bounds and is continually suffocating student leaders to agree with him or hit the highway. Dr. Dukes had troubles at Southern Oregon University with the students there in the past because of his clear disrespect of student governance. Past and present ASWOU Presidents, Gerry Blakney and Justin Tomlin both agree that Dr. Dukes should not serve as the ASWOU advisor because (quoting Gerry's article two weeks ago) "his biased advising was a hindrance to everything that ASWOU stood for." Dr. Dukes needs to know that Western Students will not tolerate his pro-administration and anti-student agenda anymore. We will not sit idly as you ruin all that we have fought for since 1960 (when ASWOU was created).
Or will we? You decide.
-Tiffani McCoy & Gerry Blakney, Students