Appeal letter to Touro College, Occupational Therapy Program Discrimination.
September 29 Dear Ms. Vera Jean Clark-Brown
When I first enrolled at Touro College, it was with the intention and expectation of joining the Occupational Therapy (OT) program, becoming an Occupational Therapist, and the desire to serve my community. Prior to being admitted into the program, I spent years intensely studying and taking prerequisite courses that would prepare me for the rigors of the OT program. My acceptance into the program was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me, and one of the proudest moments of my life. I am not ashamed to say that I actually welled up with tears, once I realized that all my hard workhas paid off, and that I was getting the opportunity to realize my dream of having a career that I truly loved.
I am now faced with a situation that may very well bring an end to my dream of becoming an Occupatioanl Therapist. I would like to bring to you attention a problem that I have been experiencing over the past year. Although the course work in the Occupational Therapy program is quite challengin, unfortunately, it is a particular faculty member, and not my classes, that is responsible for the difficult time I have been going through as a student in the OT program. Faculty member play a vital role in both the successes, as well as failures of their students; they are the ones who mold, guide, and encourage the next generation of students, preparing them for their chosen career. However, there is one faculty member in particular that I would like to bring to your attention, her name is Claire Daffner; Professor Daffner has made my experience in the Occupational Therapy program, as well as that of many others, almost unbearable. Never in my life have I been so publicly humiliated, looked down upon, and embarrassed by severely disparaging remarks, as I have been by Claire Daffner. Professor Daffner on numerous occasions has blatanly told me, as well as made me feel as though I do not belong in the program, and even went so far as to suggest that I should seek different career. I am well aware that one of the goals of the Occupational Therapy program is to ensure that those who remain are the best and the brightest in the field, making sure that upon graduation, they can serve their community to the best of their abilities. However, I do not believe that degrading and belittling one's student is the best way of achieving this goal.in the beginning of this letter, I spoke about the tears of joy that I had upon learning of my acceptance into the OT program. Sadly, the tears that I had in my eyes following many conversations with Claire Daffner were not happy ones. It is quite unfortunate that instead of being able to seek support from Professor Daffner, all I found was harsh and rather unprofessional criticism.
When I received the letter in the mail informing me of my discmissal from the program, I felt that all the public humiliation and verbal abuse that I suffered over the past few months have culminated in this. I therefore, come before you, to ask that you take serious look into this matter, review my academic records and my course work, and judge for yourselves the legitimacy of the reasons responsible for my termination from the program. I request a further discussiona regarding Professor Daffner, and hope that you will understand and take into consideration the importance of me remaining in the Occupational Therapy program. I would also like to assure you that I intend to make every effort towards becoming one of the top graduates of this program, as well as one of the best and most dedicated professionals in the field of Occupational Therapy. I respectfully ask that you do not allow one person's opinion to terminate my chances of a career in a field that I love. I have been a part of this institution from the beginning of my undergraduate career, and feel this is the best place for me to continue my professional education. I ask you to please be fair, and also welcome any suggestions that will assist me in achieving future academic success. I also sincerely hope that no other student has to experience the openly hostile treatment that I have received. I look forward to meeting with you to discusss this matter in greater detail
Thank you for your time and consideration.cc: Dean, Jospeh Weisberg
Julie Kardachi, Assistant Professor and Chair Manhattan Campus
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