A letter to the editor

As I have carefully followed the current legal matters between Margaret Smith and Paradise Valley Community College, I have felt concerned that the lawsuit, including many individuals within the Maricopa County College District, will negatively impact autonomy, independence and liberty for both teachers and students.

Because Civil Rights are important, I gathered as much information as I could to understand the issues and facts. I examined Dr. Gangadean’s course book; I read the court document; and I made several personal diverse inquiries. Perplexed, I am now struggling to see the legitimacy of Smith’s claims.

Significantly, one invaluable aspect of adult learning, inherently embedded in the Maricopa Community College communities, is the provision of open communication, inclusive dialogue and supportive mediators. Assignments, classroom participation and tests can bring adversity; external and internal conflicts in classrooms often occur due to differing viewpoints. Sometimes life as a student can become very interpersonally challenging — an uncomfortable and unwanted “sand-papering” experience. I’m not sure if many students know that the school has available, free of charge, counselors, department chair persons, administrative faculty and other students for support, dialogue and mediating feedback to help resolve difficult areas. In order to be successful, I have needed those resources, and I am grateful for the invaluable help people gave. It wasn’t easy for me to ask for assistance, but it brought important personal growth, academic improvement and social empowerment. I wish that Margaret Smith would have reached out to the caring people on campus.

Smith says she was indoctrinated in an ethics class because she was exposed to specific religious beliefs. I can’t help but wonder how limited most of my classes would be if exposure to specific religious beliefs were exiled. I am in Cultural Anthropology. I am required to know and understand course content that I do not personally believe. In Multicultural Education, I was challenged to climb over my biased walls in order to be equitable with those who are different. While I was in a meditation class, I learned about Eastern religions and very spiritual practices; I wonder if Smith would consider that a constitutional violation. I am unsure if Smith understands that learning something doesn’t equate to making it a part of your own identity or lifestyle.

When I began college, it was the most liberating environment! Everyone could talk about everything! As I got to know students and teachers, my world became so enriched, not because I agreed with everything and everyone. Equitable inclusion is the founding essence of civil rights; I have a disability, so I know. The Maricopa Community College District is the only place I have ever known where civil rights are taken seriously — not because persons have to, but because they want to.

Since Smith didn’t choose or trust the college’s due process provision, I am suspicious of her motives. At the true expense of others, lawsuits can be powerful self-serving places of coercive force and monetary compensation. Therefore, I hope The District Court is able to bring a fair and protective judgment that considers all of us.

From Shelley Handley, December 2011
PVCC Student