In the current letter, I think we are centering on too much of our concerns and gripes. (I point out the current petition-this leads us astray from the main issue at hand that has caused all this) Rather, we need to make a HUGE statement in support of the faculty. †I don't think it is productive to include all of the things we want done. Rather, we should leave it up to the clinical faculty to make these decisions, and it is obviously apparent they have us in their best interest. We will be taken care of!!
The most powerful thing we can do is to call the Administration out on the things that have led to this. And there are just a few we need to state. We need to let the Administration know ASAP that we AGREE that student and faculty concerns have fallen on deaf ears for way too long. That is all we need to express at this time. †I think we lessen our chances of being heard when we start putting statements down like we have, because the Administration gets fixated on those issues and they begin "spinning" those points. BASICALLY, THE ONLY THING WE NEED TO GET ACROSS TO THE ADMINISTRATION IS THAT WE WANT THEM TO START LISTENING, AND NOW. WE WANT TO SEE IMMEDIATE ACTION ON THEIR PART TO SOLVE THIS CRISIS!!!!
1) In the letter, we state that we have heard both sides, and concur with the faculty on the following charge: That the current Administration, including Board of Trustees, President McGovern, Dean Kuchera, and other involved parties, have failed to listen and make appropriate changes based on overwhelming clinical faculty concerns.
2) That this conflict, and possible walk-out, could have been prevented if the Administration would have listened and taken clinical faculty concerns more seriously. The faculty have persistently made their concerns known, but were ignored, and now have been left with no other choice, so as to save the quality of education at KCOM.
3) We as students will not accept "substitutes" in replacement of the current faculty members. Rather, we charge that President McGovern reach out to these clinical faculty and listen to their concerns, and have a proposal set up that allows their recommendations to be included in our current curriculums.”
