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Wednesday,April 2, 2008
By David Amerson
Staff Writer
The UIS campus was visited recently by a team from the Disability Resources and Educational Services division of UIUC for the purpose of talking to students and performing what DRES director Brad Hedrick referred to as a “site audit.”
The reason for the impromptu visit does not seem to be as clear.
Chancellor Ringeisen said about the visit: “It is important to know that we called for that visit…Vice Chancellor Miller and I decided that it would be at this point a good time to bring somebody in.”
When asked if the unrest on campus among staff and students was unrelated to the visit, the Chancellor stated: “It would not be fair to say it was unrelated. We had a situation in Disability Services where we had a changing of the guard as far as who was in charge. So it would make good sense to see how we were doing.” He was referring to the removal of the previous director of ODS, Karla Carwile on August 17, 2007, and her replacement with Suzi Woods on September 27.
However, as Katelyn Murray, President of Delta Sigma Omicron, a student organization for those with disabilities and people with interest in disability issues, points out: “It’s important to let everyone know that that ‘calling’ (for the UIUC visit) came a year too late.”
In a handwritten letter from University President Joseph B. White, written during last year’s Lobby Day and addressed to Murray and two other students, the President stated:
“I will arrange for a person from the UIUC Disability Resources Center to meet with you and campus administrators at UIS. The purpose will be for the individual to listen to and professionally assess your needs and make a recommendation to campus administration. I will ask the Chancellor to keep me informed.”
The President continues: “We want you to have the best possible complete experience at UIS.”
The letter from the President is dated April 25, 2007, four months before the “changing of the guard” at ODS, and almost 11 months before an actual visit took place.
President White’s office confirmed the accuracy of the letter, and his Executive Director of University Relations, Tom Hardy stated: “The President is concerned that all students have a good learning and living experience.”
Chancellor Ringeisen maintains that he initiated the visit, stating that he “discussed the issue with the President and he suggested some things we could do. However, me and Vice Chancellor Miller decided to bring in a full visit.”
When asked if the visit stemmed from the President’s letter, the Chancellor said: “It would be unfair to say that they were unrelated. The concerns of the students along with the change in leadership prompted the visit. I think the letter was dealing specifically with TRAC equipment accessibility.”
When asked how long after the letter was written did the President bring it up, Ringeisen stated: “I am not sure. The president asked what was going on with disability services and several of my staff then met with me and told me where we were.”
The Chancellor finished with “This is an important area to me. We’re trying to do our level best for the disabled students.”
Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Chris Miller stated that the “Letter is correct. The President had a conversation with the Chancellor and then probably recommended a visit. When he (the chancellor) told me, I let him know that I think this visit would be an excellent idea.”
Some students, however, see it as being too little too late.
“This is yet another example of how this administration has neglected to act upon early efforts of cooperative students. This hesitancy, if not flat-out refusal to act, led to the caustic consequences we saw last fall.” said Murray.
Until the results from the ODS visit are finalized, the campus will have to wait for resolution on these issues. When asked about the findings from the March visit, DRES director Brad Hedrick said, “We are currently analyzing data from the surveys and interviews.”
Hedrick also alluded to a future site visitation. “We are attempting to identify where we need to perform follow-up interviews in order to clarify certain points and aspects.”
