CLS students meet with Simon
By Heather Guenther (Last updated: 10/15/09 10:40pm)Students in the Chicano/Latino Studies program said an almost yearlong battle with the program’s director is damaging more than CLS’ image.
Some CLS doctoral students said they fear for their futures every day.
José Moreno, an American studies and CLS doctoral student, said graduate students who support CLS Director Sheila Contreras’ removal face harassment, including threats to cut teaching assistant funding, from program officials. He said it can be difficult to separate the ongoing battles from his everyday life.
Contreras has been at the center of the CLS debate since last spring, when a group of students went to College of Social Science Dean Marietta Baba with complaints about how Contreras treated students. Contreras denies claims she and other administrators disrespected or harassed students.
“I would be interested to see the evidence (of harassment),” Contreras said. “I see the program making a lot of progress. We are moving forward in so many ways and I would prefer to focus on that.”
Moreno and about 15 CLS graduate and undergraduate students met with MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon and other university officials Wednesday to ask for Contreras’ removal and a dismantling of the new CLS Faculty Policy Advisory Committee during a closed-door meeting. The advisory committee was created by Baba this year to provide guidance to Contreras.
“Sometimes, emotionally, it has been draining because I have to think about this stuff,” Moreno said. “You’re focused on this struggle, trying to do your teaching and trying to do your work. You feel the pressure at night when you’re sleeping.”
Simon spoke with students for almost an hour after the scheduled one-hour meeting ended.
MSU will continue to work toward finding a resolution everyone in CLS can support, Simon said.
“It’s important that students who are part of the program believe they have been well educated,” Simon said. “There are obviously a lot of issues and different perspectives on those issues. We’re going to try to sort those out in the best interest of the collective.”
But Moreno said the situation is worsening each day without administrative action.
“If we continue this process, it’s going to get worse,” Moreno said. “We need to come to some type of resolutions to resolve this issue. If the administration wants to keep her as director, she has to give us something.”
Felix Medina, a CLS doctoral student, said the administration’s lack of action continues to frustrate CLS students.
“We just want everything to go back to the way it was and (Simon) kept giving us the administrative run around, telling us that there was policy and procedure,” Medina said. “We’re just letting her know that we followed it once and she needs to step in and do something about it.”
Sara Vitale, a social relations and policy senior, said she felt betrayed by Simon’s responses during the meeting.
“What we got out of this meeting was another rubber stamp from the administration for Dr. Contreras, Rubén Martinez and all these other people put in charge of our program … to continue their corruption and harassment of students and basically the destruction of our program,” Vitale said. “(Simon) made it very clear the action she was going to take is nothing.”
Originally Published: 10/14/09 11:27pm
ME!
10/15/09 12:15amDid Dr. Contreras forget about her inappropriate behavior in Chicago toward MSU faculty and students?
ME2
10/15/09 12:40amDid you all develop amnesia and forget about YOUR inappropriate behavior ALL year long?
Hey Jose, why does Contreras HAVE to GIVE you anything if the administration is going to keep her? If all you wanted was “something”, you could have saved everyone a whole year and used it to practice your spelling and grammar.
CLS Student
10/15/09 1:07amI support my fellow Latino students 100%.
Grow Up
10/15/09 8:45amAwwww poor babies. Not being able to sleep at night; afraid of losing funding for graduate studies. Perhaps you should think outside yourself for a moment. Do you understand that your actions affect other people? Do you understand that the poster calling a faculty member “Thief” is probably libelous and the defense of limited public figure probably won’t work?
The leaders of this “movement” are nothing more than immature children who are looking to make a name for themselves at other people’s expense. You have no ethics, you have no real cause.
True Colors
10/15/09 8:59amThis group’s true colors are showing. It is very apparent that this is not about the CLS program and more about a personal vendetta against the director. They have rejected the FPAC, they have rejected the Dean, they have rejected the Provost, they have rejected the multiple-dean oversight. It seems that no matter what the university does to help the program, this group only wants the director gone from the position. This isn’t the way to get what you want.
Why?
10/15/09 9:21amI’d really like to know why the Administration keeps appeasing the people who are acting the most immature. It went from meeting with the Director to the Dean to the Provost and now to a meeting with the President that ran an hour over schedule!
You are rewarding this terrible behavior. While these childish students are to blame for their own actions, your act of rewarding them encourages future behavior.
What about THE BUDGET?!
10/15/09 9:24amI really think the President should have bigger issues to deal with given the current budget situation than meeting for 2 hours with people throwing a year-long temper tantrum.
While before I was more unhappy with the way the students were acting, now i’m much more worried about our Presidents priorities…
Interesting
10/15/09 9:50amTwo points:
(1) It will be interesting to see how many of these Ph.D. students will finish their education. My guess is that faculty in American Studies will begin or have already have had discussions regarding the process to remove these students from the program.(HINT)
(2) If any remain and graduate, it will be interesting to see how many of the Ph.D.
...View full comment »
Tsk..
10/15/09 9:54am“Sara Vitale, a social relations and policy senior, said she felt betrayed by Simonâs responses during the meeting.
...âWhat we got out of this meeting was another rubber stamp from the administration for Dr. Contreras, Rubén Martinez and all these other people put in charge of our program ⦠to continue their corruption and harassment of students and basically the destruction of our program,â Vitale said.
View full comment »
malinali
10/15/09 2:07pmI said it once, and I’ll say it again: where are the RCLS faculty in all of this? Remember, most of them are tenured, some are near retirement. They have nothing to lose. Grad students may delay their time to degree, but they are likely on fellowship, and in the current economic climate they will have opportunities to teach once their fellowships run out, so it won’t cost them the way it will cost undergrads, many of whom are likely the first in their families to go to college.I am not suggesting that Chicano and Latino undergrads should only focus on their studies, neglecting important political struggles to improve campus climate, but RCLS faculty allies have a responsibility to use their experience and their knowledge of the system to guide undergrads toward the most effective solutions to their problems with the institution.
...View full comment »
Tezcatlipoca
10/15/09 2:32pmInteresting,
Again, more not so veiled threats.
_Two points:
(1) It will be interesting to see how many of these Ph.D. students will finish their education. My guess is that faculty in American Studies will begin or have already have had discussions regarding the process to remove these students from the program.(HINT)
(2) If any remain and graduate, it will be interesting to see how many of the Ph.D._
Why!
_It went from meeting with the Director to the Dean to the Provost and now to a meeting with the President _
Isn’t this, “following the process”?
FB
10/15/09 4:31pmClassy facebook pic, Todd. Would expect nothing but class from you. I wonder if the President feels menaced by you?
Interesting
10/15/09 4:32pmTezcatlipoca,
My two points are related to the pejorative posters (e.g. âThiefâ and âDear Chicano Studentsâ). Once faculty, department chairs, and upper administration associate a name to the creator of the jpegs, then they will need to ask themselves if these posters constitute “free speech.” My guess is that the “Thiefâ poster of RM will be the test case for academic freedom.
...View full comment »
Tezcatlipoca
10/15/09 5:03pmInteresting,
In my equally humble opinion I do not believe that the originator of that flyer has too much to worry about. It is clear that they are characterizing RM’s comping of lunches as “thievery” and question whether this is being done in the context of personal or MSU business. An audit would clear up the matter. I believe FOIA requests have already been submitted to the University to shed light on this question.
Qin Shi Huandi
10/15/09 7:53pmHow do I get through to these kids?
RCLS
10/15/09 8:08pm98 signatures and counting…
Soon we will break 100 signatures on our petition, and after only three weeks online!!!!
um, yeah
10/15/09 9:31pmTodd: Keep telling yourself that the flyer isn’t libelous. You really should consult an attorney (one who actually has experience in defamation cases) not just someone who learned about it in law school.
audit
10/15/09 9:34pmcareful how you point fingers, call for audits, and FOIA requests. Those sorts of things can be double-edged swords.
Rainer (lets drop the Tezcatlipoca ok?) We all know it's you.
10/15/09 10:39pmâ_It went from meeting with the Director to the Dean to the Provost and now to a meeting with the President _
Isnât this, âfollowing the processâ?
Youâre being managed. Follow the timeline instead of relying on what you are told.
What happened was this: they kept blowing off the director, they went to the Dean (remember YouTube?) then tried to meet with the President, were punted to the Provost (remember the shouting meeting) went back to the dean and had a press conference (see YouTube) while she was out of town (real brave!) then met with the President yesterday.
...View full comment »
Noto
10/15/09 11:49pmTezcatlipoca,
The only way you can truly find out if the posters are legitimate acts of free speech is to send the posters to:
Robert A. Noto
General Counsel and Vice President for Legal Affairs
494 Administration Building
(517) 353-3530
notor@msu.edu
If you are a true Xicano solider then you will send Noto the posters.
You know you will not send the jpeg files because deep down inside you know the outcome!
YOUR ACTIONS WILL SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.
We will be waiting for your email or letter! Don’t keep us waiting!
FYI
10/16/09 8:32ampeople might want to look at this article in Inside Higher Ed. It is about a university that sued a blogger for libel www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/10/16/butler
Tezcatlipoca
10/16/09 12:08pm“Noto”,
Actually, as this is the United States of America I’m willing to take my chances relying on this document and this organization.
http://www.aclu.org/crimjustice/gen/10084res20020304.html
General counsels are not the supreme arbiters of these types of things. Your zealous attempts at suppressing expression speak for themselves.
As for the person making guesses…thanks a lot.
...View full comment »
Tezcatlipoca
10/16/09 12:30pmFYI,
Thanks for the link but the story is about Butler suing a blogger. So far there is no resolution either way as far as Butler University vs JOHN DOE a/k/a Soodo Nym a/k/a thetrubu@gmail.com is concerned.
libel
10/16/09 2:58pmTodd:
Nice appeal to authority. However, it neglects to mention two centuries of case law on the allowable limitations of free speech. Your zealous attempts at libeling people who disagree with you speak for themselves.
I read the FYI link too. Interesting, but seems like everyone regardless of viewpoint on this issue should be interested in reading.
Tezcatlipoca
10/16/09 4:59pmLibel,
I don’t know if you were addressing my post with the ACLU and Bill of Rights link but if you were then I believe that appealing to the authority of the Constitution of the United States, specifically the Bill of Rights, is appropriate since Um, yeah, said this, You really should consult an attorney (one who actually has experience in defamation cases) not just someone who learned about it in law school.
I believe the ACLU has quite a bit of experience in defamation and free speech cases.
To clarify my comment on the Butler link that case is ongoing.
...View full comment »