In recent days, we've received information from multiple sources about an ASC student who was a veteran of the Iraq War. (Our sources were careful not to provide information which would identify the student in order to protect the individual's privacy and we have kept the information in this post very general for the same reason.) According to these sources, the student was suffering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of the horrendous events experienced while in Iraq.
All did not go smoothly for this student, but faculty members in the program the student was enrolled in were aware of the situation and were working to provide a supportive environment that would help her/him deal with the demands of college life.
When the student required hospitalization and was undergoing treatment, Steve Tyrell, Vice President of Student Affairs, added a further burden to this student's life by sending a letter of dismissal to him/her.
According to our sources, the faculty working with the student were outraged by the callous actions of Tyrell and concerned that receiving a letter of dismissal while hospitalized and undergoing treatment would cause the student serious psychological distress.
We too are outraged.
We owe a debt to the veterans who have returned to us. We owe them an opportunity to rebuild their lives. We owe them compassion and support. To threaten the well-being of an individual undergoing treatment for PTSD with an ill-timed letter of dismissal shows a most serious lack of judgment and competence. To treat those who have been scarred or crippled in defense of this nation with such indifference and cruelty is unconscionable.
Tyrell's monumental blunders and lapses in judgment have alienated many people and made him a joke to much of the college. He is well-known as a man whose ambition far exceeds his competence, and it is only a matter of time, in our opinion, before his ineptitude results in a major lawsuit against the college.
Were it not for his role as faithful "yes man" to ASC president Uma Gupta, such incompetence would have resulted in his demotion or firing long ago. It is unfortunate that Gupta either fails to see or refuses to deal with what, in our opinion, is the gross incompetence of Tyrell.
The possibility of lawsuits is a serious enough matter. But when Tyrell's incompetence threatens the well-being of a student, the matter becomes one of critical importance.
That Gupta has not acted clearly shows that she has little understanding of what is happening at ASC. Should she claim ignorance -- cry that this matter had not been brought to her attention -- it would show how dangerously out of touch she is with what is really going on at the college. If we blogsters are able to gather the information, why is Gupta unable to do so?
Tyrell's decisions and actions can have a profound impact on the lives and the futures of the students of ASC. To entrust those lives and those futures to a man who has, in our opinion, demonstrated a breath-taking level of incompetence is a clear indication of Gupta's complete disregard for anyone except herself.
A thorough and immediate investigation of Tyrell's behavior in the incident we've described is needed and appropriate corrective action must be taken to ensure that his incompetence does not lead to another student suffering. ASC needs a VP of Student Affairs who is concerned about the students, not a VP whose only concerned is taking on ever more tasks he is hopeless at in order to puff up his resume so he can fullfil his ambition for a college presidency.
We hope that it will not take the death of a student for this matter to be taken seriously.
We have a sacred obligation to the veterans who have given so much of themselves. On Memorial Day we can raise the flag and visit the cemeteries and attend the ceremonies of remembrance. But when Tuesday morning comes, we have an obligation to treat those veterans with dignity and respect. Each day of the year, we have a debt of honor to pay by ensuring that those veterans who have returned home with unhealed wounds are treated with compassion and understanding.
To protest the actions of ASC Vice President Steve Tyrell, you can contact the following people:
- George Pataki, Governor of New York -- e-mail link.
- John Ryan, SUNY Chancellor -- e-mail link.
- Betty Capaldi, SUNY Vice-Chancellor -- e-mail link.
- Peter Salins, SUNY Provost -- e-mail link.
- Edward Cox, SUNY Board of Trustees -- efcox@pbwt.com
- Uma Gupta, Alfred State College President -- guptaug@alfredstate.edu
- Steve Tyrell, Alfred State College Vice President of Student Affairs -- tyrellsj@alfredstate.edu
