In which the University takes the gloves off

Despite the fact that I had not yet been convicted of any wrong-doing, I was now suspended from classes and removed from my practicum program. My sponsorship to the Student Conference in Calgary had been withdrawn, and I had been fired without cause from my part-time job teaching piano in the after-school program at Gordon Bell. Despite all this, I was still determined to continue in the program, believing that once I had a chance to defend myself against the charges, that I would be vindicated. Accordingly, as soon as I received the suspension notice, I emailed my professors asking them to make arrangements for me to continue doing my assignments and writing tests. But it was not to be. Shortly after sending out these letters, the Registrar hit me with another blow:

Dear Marty,

I regret to inform you that a decision has been taken to bar you from campus. I am attaching an e-version of that notice, and a hard copy will be sent to you tomorrow. I will render a decision as soon as possible on the non-academic misconduct case. I will include information on the option of appeal as you have requested. If you wish to meet to discuss your situation, an appointment can be arranged to vary the trespass order to allow you on campus for the time of the meeting. For the time being, you remain registered in your courses and you are welcome to continue doing course-work that can be conducted without coming to University property.

 

Regards,

Colin

I was not just suspended from classes, I was barred from campus property altogether. If I set foot on University property, the Registrar had issued instructions that I was to be arrested and charged with trespassing.

In which I am suspended

When I showed up for class that afternoon, the Registrar was waiting for me, accompanied by two security officers. He handed me an envelope, with a letter in it. This is what the letter said:

Dear Marty:

As I stated this morning, the perception of your behaviour as aggressive and disruptive in
your classes has not been addressed. There are concerns on the part of instructors and
students regarding the University’s responsibility to provide a safe learning environment,
which I do not think will be addressed through your suggestion of attending class
accompanied by a security guard. Therefore it is the University's decision that you not
attend classes at this time and that you should not attempt to do so. Any attempt to go to
class will be treated as an act of insubordination and a wilful disregard of the instructions
of a university officer doing his duty.

I hope for a speedy resolution to the investigation, and, again, I am willing to meet with
you to “review the matter and determine whether the facts as disclosed by the
complainant are in dispute,” as stipulated in the Policy on Student Non-Academic
Misconduct and Discipline. Please contact me at (204) 786-9337 or
c.russell@uwinnipeg.ca in order to arrange another day and time.

Yours sincerely,

Colin Russell
University Registrar

I ought to explain the part about attending class accompanied by a security guard. The whole "safety issue" was clearly an invention of the Registrar; no one had ever complained that I was a physical threat; if they had, I think the Registrar would have mentioned it in the letter where he summarized the complaints against me. I am "rude, disrespectful, dominating class time..." but nothing about being physically intimidating. I think he would have mentioned that if there was anything there.

So when he started raising the safety issue as a reason why I shouldn't be allowed in class, I asked him why they couldn't have a security guard accompany me to class, at least while my case was being decided? That's not so unusual. When I was in Gordon Bell one of my students was accompanied to all his classes by a parole officer. I even offered to pay for it out of my own pocket.

But safety was never the issue. The whole point of the suspension was to coerce me into going to the meeting. Which I wasn't going to do...not before the University put its complaints in writing.

In which I go to a meeting

The Registrar had just written to me that I was suspended from class on the basis of Professor Metz's complaint. He said I would not be allowed back in class until I attended a meeting with him. There is no such procedure in University Policies for compelling attendance at such a meeting. I wrote back that I would attend the meeting and I would expect him to provide me with Professor Metz's written complain. Naturally, when I showed up, the Registrar was not willing to give me anything in writing. I told him I was not interested in discussing the question of non-academic misconduct: I only wanted to know what avenues were available to me to have the suspension lifted. He answered that it wasn't a "real" suspension; he had just done it because he wanted to talk to me. Since I was now talking to him, the suspension was lifted. I told him in that case, I was going back to class that afternoon. Then I left.

In which Prof. Metz complains about me

I think the idea was that after kicking me out of the practicum in December, I was just going to give up on the whole thing. I think people were pretty surprised when I showed up for classes in January, business as usual. But Prof. Metz didn't seem very happy about it. In the second week of classes, he complained to the Registrar that I was up to my old tricks. The Registrar was quick to act:

Dear Marty,

I understand that there was another incident in Professor Metz's class yesterday, in which your behaviour was described as disruptive and threatening. This ongoing situation is unacceptable, and you need to meet with me to discuss these concerns.

 

Accordingly, you are not to attend classes, effective immediately, until you have met with me, which you must do before the end of this week. The days and times that I have available are:

 

Wednesday, January 11, at 9:30 or 12:00;

Friday, January 13, at 10:00 or in the afternoon.

Please let me know what time would work for you.

 

Regards,
Colin

 

What was the supposed incident which provoked this? The University had not yet put its version in writing, so it is not in my interests to disclose my version. In any case, I was going to have to deal with this, so I agreed to meet with him the next day:

I will be there 9:30 tomorrow (Wednesday). Please be prepared to give me a copy of Prof. Metz's written complaint.

In which I ask to be reinstated

It was the second week of classes, and I was treating it as business as usual. Of course it wasn't. Even ignoring the misconduct procedings, I had been kicked out of my practicum with no explanation and no appeals. The University had said that they would not reconsider my practicum placement until the misconduct issue was settled, and the Registrar was dragging that process into months. I decided it was time to re-assert my rights, so I sent the following letter to my Faculty:
 

Dear Debra:

I am writing you at this time because when you wrote me last November to inform me that I was being suspended from my practicum and that the matter was in the hands of the Registrar, you assured me that I would be afforded due process. Unfortunately this has not materialized; the Registrar continues to refuse my request for full disclosure of the information against me, and most recently he has threatened to return a finding against me unless I relinquish my rights to this information. He acknowledges that this is my right under the doctrine of "procedural fairness", but then claims that this right does not apply to me because "this is not a legal proceding".

Because of this unexpected development, I find that my expectation of being able to resume full participation in the program is in serious jeopardy. I am therefore writing to ask if you would consider having my practicum privileges temporarily reinstated, at least while the procedings against me continue to drag out, so that I am not being unfairly punished in advance of being convicted. I understand that this decision may not be entirely yours, but I am hoping you will want to take it up with the powers that be.

 

Regards

Marty Green

 

My letter was ignored.

In which the Registrar sticks to procedure

In my appeal of my final grade of Professor Bush's course, I told the Registrar I wanted to explain my side of the story. It seemed to me that this was just what he had been asking me to do all along, so I thought he would jump at the chance to hear me out. But it turns out he wasn't that interested after all:

Dear Marty,

Though this was a 9-week course that ended back in November, the approval of Fall grades has not yet occurred, so any grades are unofficial at this point and an appeal of a final grade would occur once your final grade is posted on WebAdvisor later this month.

A grade appeal is not related to the other matters under consideration to which you refer, so if you are dissatisfied with the final grade when it is official you should follow the regular process as outlined in the Calendar, and that process will be conducted without prejudice and reference to the other matters.

Best wishes,

Colin

In Which Professor Bush Gives me an F

Around this time I saw my final marks posted in Theory of Science Teaching, a first term half course. I actually passed the course with a C+ which was OK with me except everyone else had A's and B+'s. The big hit was my final assignment, a three-lesson learning cycle plan for Grade 11 Chemistry. The prof gave me an F on that, and I thought it was a pretty low mark considering. So I wrote up the following letter of appeal, and sent it to the Registrar with a copy to the prof:

To: The Registrar

Prof. G.D. Bush

Vice-President, Academic

Dean of Education

Re: Final Grade in EDUC 15.4869

This letter notifies the University of my intent to appeal my final grade in “Theory of Science Teaching”. The grounds for my appeal are that the overall assessment of the final grade is demonstrably unjust.

Under the University procedures, I am required to submit my appeal in writing to the Registrar, who then forwards it to the Departmental Review Committee. In view of the circumstances of my case, which the Registrar is familiar with, I am asking him to consider a variation in this procedure whereby I would be allowed to present my case orally. The reasons for my request are as follows:

1. As the Registrar is aware, I am presently engaged in a conflict with my department whereby they have refused to engage in communication with me concerning my status, instead referring me in all matters to the Registrar’s office. I therefore feel I cannot expect a fair hearing from my department.

2. The requirement to put all of my arguments in writing places an excessively onerous burden on me at this time, given the complexity of my case, the demanding course load I am dealing with and the extremely stressful conditions of my studies at this time, the reasons for which are familiar to the Registrar.

3. In making my case, I wish to point out the extreme discrepancy between the marks I was awarded and the obvious quality of the work submitted. I intended to draw an inference of malice from this circumstance, and will wish to support my inference with evidence of various incidents throughout the term. I feel this is by its nature a case that ought to be argued orally and in the presence of the instructor.

I am therefore suggesting that the Registrar convene a committee to be composed of himself and two members of the Education faculty, including one of my choosing. I am willing to submit a written outline of my claim to the committee, including copies of all relevant supporting documents. The professor whose grade I am appealing should be a party to the hearing.

Please give this matter your most serious consideration.

Marty Green